In my time with God this morning I read an account of Fr. Edward Farrell who went on a vacation to Ireland to celebrate his uncles 80th birthday. (I read the account in Abba's Child by Brennan Manning.) One morning they got up very early and took a walk to Lake Killarney and paused to watch the sunrise. "Suddenly the uncle turned and went skipping down the road. He was radiant, beaming, smiling from ear to ear. His nephew said, 'Uncle Seamus, you really look happy.'
'I am lad.'
'Want to tell me why?'
His eighty-year-old uncle replied, 'Yes, you see, my Abba is very found of me.'"

Wow. The author went on to ask, "how would you respond if I asked you this question, 'Do you honestly believe God likes you, not just loves you because theologicaly God has to love you?'"

This is a hard one to grasp in fulness. God really like me? God really likes you? How much of life is spent trying to make ourselves better and/or atone for our sin? How many hours do we spend wishing we were more this or less that? How much energy is exerted for the sake of self improvement? To be sure growth and maturity is a good thing (as I've said Tommy must go - see initial blog :)). Yet how much of our efforts or lack of them in some instances are directly a result of self loathing or at least self dislike?

What would it be like to live like uncle Seamus truly believing deep down at the core of our being that God really likes us - a lot. It seems that therein lies the way to freedom.

"Can a woman forget her nursing child, and have no compassion on the sone of her womb? Even these may forget, But I will not forget you" (Is. 49:15). God loves us, likes us and has a boat load of compassion and tenderness for us. He is very fond of us.

He likes us. Alot

Peace and Joy
Rob