Kim Zember explains how God the Father is the very best of fathers, and how our earthly parents can cloud our perception of His goodness.
Do you remember how your parents disciplined you as a child? Kim recalls something that her mom used to do whenever she did something bad: she would send Kim to her room to “think about what she had done.” As a kid in that room, Kim found herself sitting in shame and guilt instead of growing. As an adult, she finds it easy to transfer that to her relationship with God, and it can be easy to assume that God views the bad things we’ve done just as our parents would have.
But this isn’t true.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he says that it’s the kindness of the Lord that brings out repentance. It’s not the way he scolds us or punishes us. It’s his love that calls us to be better. And this is true today whenever we sin. Think of the woman “caught in many sins” that wipes the Lord’s feet with her tears. Jesus says that her ability to love has been granted through the forgiveness of her sins, and that the multitude of her past sins only leads to a greater capacity for love.
Now, of course, this doesn’t mean that we should just sin willy-nilly in order to receive grace. St. Paul points out that that would be an abuse of God’s mercy and would only result in graver sin. But there is comfort in the truth that God can bring such radical grace out of our sin and repentance.
We can’t do anything to change the heart of God. We can’t make him love us any more through good deeds, and we can’t make him love us any less through sin. We can’t forfeit or earn the Father’s love. His love for each of us is unchangeable. It’s been given to us freely and mercifully, and it’s our responsibility to share this love with those around us in for this infinite gift.
Are you striving to live a life that reflects this love? Are you using every opportunity to love him back?
Meet Jackie and Bobby Angel
Jackie Francois Angel is a full-time worship leader and speaker. Bobby Angel is a campus minister and theology teacher at a Catholic high school. Married in 2013, they have four beautiful children and strive to grow in holiness each day!
