All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be - Psalm 139:16

The following is from Soul Food www.chipkirk.com

Recently I was on a panel discussion at MOPS, Mother's Of PreSchoolers.

The subject was In-laws and I guess since I have them and now am one...well, they must have thought I knew something about the subject.

One of my dearest longtime friends, Debbie Capp, she looks just the same today, only she's blond with the same long hair...me, I'm going gray.

Debbie and her son, Scott, who now has four children of his own and is a pastor, and me below holding Scott.  I went into labor with Colleen playing cards at Rick and Debbie's...anyway, back to the story!

So, Debbie was on the panel along with two other women.

One statement Debbie made really stuck in my mind.  She said,

"You can't make anyone love you!"

How true, we can't.  It was a freeing thought to me.  I can't make my mother-in-law love me, my sons-in-law, kids, husband, parents, siblings, grandkids...nobody!

In the last month that thought kept going through my mind.  One day, while riding in the car and thinking on this, it was as if God spoke outloud to me.  He said,

"...and, there is nothing, nothing, NOTHING you can do to make me love you less!"

As I've thought on this in the last few weeks, the death of Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of divine love:

"God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8

I love these thoughts...I can't make anyone love me, and I also can't make God love me less!

Freeing!  Humbling!  Exciting!