Letters to My Son #2 You Are Unconditionally Loved

Dear Son,

    God’s love is unconditional. That means it’s not based on our strength or goodness, it reaches us even in our weakness and sinfulness. As Romans 5:6 says, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Christ died in our place while we were still weak, showing us just how unconditional His love really is. It’s a love so deep we can’t fully understand it—though I caught a glimpse of it when you came into the world.

    After hours of waiting to see you at the hospital, I finally had the chance to meet you. You were white-reddish, full of hair, and just so cute to behold. You had a bit of jaundice, so you had to stay under the light for another 24 hours. But the moment I saw you, I instantly fell in love. You hadn’t done anything yet but I loved you. Your mom loved you. While you were still just an infant, I loved you unconditionally. Maybe that’s what parenthood does… it gives us a small taste of how deeply God loves us. So, son, no matter what you become or what you do, know this: I love you for who you are. And more importantly, your Father in heaven loves you unconditionally. You are a child of God in Christ Jesus, the Son. Amen.

Love, Dad

Letters to My Son #1 You Are Wonderfully and Marvelously Made

 

Dear Son,

The day I heard you were coming, your mom gave me the biggest surprise. I had just come back tired from preparing for the FES National Conference the next day. Your mom had arrived that afternoon and was resting in the room. She had come to help out as a graduate helper. I thought she was already asleep that night, but when I entered the room and turned on the light, there she was—sitting on the bed, smiling, and holding out a pregnancy test result. She said, “I’m pregnant.”

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say (also, I honestly had no clue how to read a pregnancy test—what do “T” and “C” mean? What are the double red lines for? I never cared to know before). But after your mom patiently explained it to me, the thought of you coming into this world was just… wonderful. I hugged your mom tightly and we kissed. That night, all my tiredness disappeared. I was the happiest man at the campsite (even though nobody else knew yet). And your mom? Beautiful as ever!

One Bible passage that came to mind as we prayed and gave thanks to our LORD for the precious gift He gave us was Psalm 139:14–16: “Thank you [LORD] for making me [and that’s you too, my son] so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” To your mom and me, you are—of course—wonderful and marvellous. But, my son, your Father in heaven loved you even before you came into the world. His gentle hands formed you in your mother’s womb, and His loving eyes watched over you from a single cell to the complex, amazing being you are now. Son, I welcome you into this world—and I speak the name of Jesus, the Son of God, over you.

Love, Dad.