Devotional Series -- Week One: His Only Child

For the next 3-4 Mondays, I am going to be posting a series of devotions I have written that have appeared in various places, such as Crosswalk.com and Proverbs 31 Ministries. I truly hope and pray that something in them will mean something to you and God will speak to you in some way through them.

This week, a particular devotion came to mind, as I am still consumed with thoughts about our friend, Kris Lawing. It seemed quite appropriate to begin the series of devotions with this post...

His Only Child
Even when a mother has more than one child, she has an innately individualistic sense of each one of them.

Several weeks ago, I had gotten up earlier than my still sleeping children to do some work on the computer. Groggily typing some notes, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Although I couldn’t see with my eyes who it was, I instantly sensed it was my youngest son. I recognized the sound of his step, and I was acutely aware of the fact that it was him. Without looking up from my keyboard, I greeted him from my semi-closed office door. “Good morning, Micah. How are you this morning?” Seconds later he opened the door and looked at me, puzzled. “Hi, mom. How did you know it was me?” he asked. Smiling, I answered, almost without hesitation or any real forethought to his question. “Son, I would recognize you anywhere. Don’t you know that I have everything about you memorized, even the way you walk down the stairs in the morning?” Though I had not yet seen Micah with my own eyes before I spoke to him, I didn’t need to see him to know that it was him. I had an innate and intimate sense of my precious son, just as I would have with either of my other two children.

As I think back to my own childhood, I can remember how my own mother would communicate to me that she loved me by knowing all my likes, dislikes, preferences and passions. As the middle child of three, I knew that despite being sandwiched in-between two other children, she loved me as if I were the one and only focus of her life. She would often tell me that she felt like I was her only child…and she felt the same way about my older brother…and my younger sister. At the time, I didn’t fully comprehend how she was able to feel that way about us. But now with three children of my own, I absolutely do.

Dear friend, in the eyes of God, you are His only child. Whether or not you had an earthly parent who treated you with care and priority, He does. He knows your likes, dislikes, preferences, and passions. Though you are one of millions of His children, He doesn’t put you in a group or category. He looks at you…individually. He sees you…clearly. He knows you…completely. He pursues you…as if you are the only one on His mind. You are His beloved child, and He longs to love you like you have never been loved before.

Maybe you are desperately looking for love. Maybe your soul desire is to know that you are truly important to someone. Maybe you wonder why you would matter so much to such a powerful and wonderful God of the Universe. Rest assured that Someone who would take the time to count the number of hairs on your head has an everlasting awareness of exactly who are you. May you know today that He looks at you as if you were His only child, with a deep longing for you to recognize Him as your Daddy.

Now What?
Spend some time today meditating on the thought that He loves you as if you were His only child. Read Psalm 139 and let the words sink into your soul. Praise Him for His presence in your life, and ask Him to show you in the coming days just how much He adores you.

Challenge Questions:
Have I allowed God to love me like He wants to love me? Or am I holding back areas of my life I consider too personal or unlovable?

Do I accept the fact that He sees me as His only child, even if I don’t really understand it?

Have I fully embraced Him as my Father?

Challenge Verse:
Jeremiah 1:5a : "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (NKJV)

Awesome God of the Universe, thank you for treating me as if I were your only child. Thank you for seeing me, recognizing me, and knowing me inside out. Help me know that with you I am able to completely be myself. May I rest in your loving arms and recognize you as my daddy. Amen.

For more on this subject, order a copy of Lisa’s new book, Behind Those Eyes: What’s Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women.

Lisa