Heart Expansion

One of the most amazing things about being a parent is experiencing the capacity to fully love more than one child. I remember being afraid when I was pregnant with my second baby that I would not be able to love another child as much as I loved my first. After she was born, however, I was completely amazed at how my heart not only made room for a second child, but how it seemed to have doubled in size. Now that I have five children, I have experienced this "heart expansion" with the birth of every child. Not only does my love for each of my children not decrease with the arrival of another, but my heart just continues to grow and expand with love.

Perhaps being a parent allows us to better comprehend the love that our heavenly Father has for us. Maybe He wired us with hearts that are able to love and embrace each child equally so that we could more fully experience His own heart for us. God has an amazing capacity to love each and every one of us passionately and without reserve. Even though I love my children to the best of my human ability, I know that compared to my Father's love, my love is imperfect and imcomplete. When my faith is weak and I am struggling to believe that God could possibly love me as much as he loves His other children, I only have to look at my own children and the love I have for each of them and remember that God's love is even far more complete, unconditional, and perfect. One child or five, the love doesn't lessen or change. The same is true with God. He loves each of His children as if we were His one and only. What a special place we each have in our Father God's heart!