Whatever is Pure

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Yesterday afternoon, as Grant and I were spending a few, precious minutes being lazy, and he was letting me mess up his hair, I just buried my face in it to inhale its fragrance (somehow, Grant's hair always smells beautifully)...at that moment, I was transported to the night when I first saw him, over 17 years ago...wrapped in a hospital blanket, wearing a crazy looking beanie in his head that tried to cover his messy dark curls...and the memories of the overwhelming feelings I experienced at that moment, years ago, came back rushing into my heart and mind with the same force.

"How can you love someone so much, that you just met?"

I heard that phrase in a movie once, years before Grant was born.  I didn't get it at the time...until I was holding my newborn baby boy for the first time...the power of the love is unreal! And one has to wonder...where does this pure, unmitigated, sheer, unadulterated, unpolluted, absolute, unchangeable, unconditional, never ending love comes from?

The only thing I can think of is:  it is God's.  The overpowering love a Mother often feels for her newborns is a manifestation of the way God loves us: His Children.

There is no other place it can come from.  He is the One Who IS Love! So Love, pure love comes from Him.  And we experience it, because He first loved us. (1 John 4: 19)

At that moment, when the bond between Grant and I got securely cemented, fastening our hearts together, I experienced a glimpse of the most pure form of love: the love God has for me.

Therefore, when the Apostle Paul commands us to think about "whatever is pure," I think of the way God loves.  How He loves us, OH, How He loves us!  The force of His love is the purest thing I can think of.  Free from anything that weakens, untainted, perfectly pure...that's His love.  And for that, I am eternally grateful.

The fact that purity is found in His love, doesn't mean, however, that life is going to be a carnival.  Of course not.  Those of us who are parents have figured that out, haven't we?  The pure love we feel for our children comes with a devastatingly heavy burden that we must constantly carry for the rest of our lives.  The burden of love reminds us that we are not home yet...that we are not strong enough...that we need His Arms to sustain us every step of the way.  But it also reminds us that He is present, and that He is Good, that He is with us all the time, and that He is a Great God!

After a few short minutes, Grant left my side to do his own thing... I covered my face with my hands to push away my tears and suffocate the pain of the thoughts of him leaving home in less than a year to go to college...and I focused on the joy God allows me to feel knowing that the love I feel for my boy is, but a small fraction of the love He has for His own.