The Greatest Question

If you haven’t been to Monster Jam you should go. I don’t think you’ll regret it so long as you have ear plugs! When a truck has enough horsepower to launch a rocket and it’s multiplied by 12, it can get a little loud. Did you know that a 6-ton truck can do a back flip? Yeah, me neither but now I’ve seen it with my own 2 eyes! It was a show from beginning to end!

If you’re skeptical, I completely understand. Monster Jam wasn’t anywhere on my radar but when my 4-year-old saw that the show was coming to town he was determined to go. He even was willing to forgo a tangible Christmas present in exchange for waiting a few months to attend. The tickets should have been half-priced; we only used the edge of our seats!

Have you ever had a moment in time you wish could be bottled up? Those surreal moments when all other aspects of life seem to fade away and what remains, the essence of life, shines so brightly in contrast to the dross. I am from south Alabama but no I’m not still talking about the trucks.

At some point in the experience, my focus shifted from the trucks to be totally consumed by the joy I received from watching my son. He had his hands on the rail, hat on backwards, and each time a truck would fire up he’d look over at me grinning from ear to ear. Fun with a capital “F.” The pure goodness of the Lord was almost too much to bear as I sat fixated on my boy.

Unconditional love is a difficult concept to grasp but that night, with my son, I obtained a small window into the unconditional love my Father has toward me. As I sat there with my son for the sole purpose of having fun and spending time together, God kept reaffirming His love for me in a whisper that could be heard over monster trucks. God reminded me He’s not looking for me to do a bunch of stuff for Him, it’s being with Him that matters. Communion with God in its most literal sense.

Are you tired and weary today? Are you trying to get God’s attention or approval through behaviors and actions? If that is us I’ve got some very encouraging news. There’s no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! No fine print or exception clauses. God, your Father, smiles upon you with delight! Please pause for just a moment and let that sink in!

As we commune with God, yes, our desires change, but Jesus equates it to fruit on a tree. Fruit can’t be willed into existence. Fruit only comes as a natural output of a tree with hydrated roots in fertile soil. God’s desire is for all to experience the depths of His love and it comes through planting our lives by the River of Life, Jesus Christ. If we could earn God’s love, the cross would be unnecessary, but it was necessary. The only way for God to unconditionally love us and account for sin was to take our penalty upon Himself and that’s exactly what He did. He’s our Father and that’s what dad’s do for their kids. He’s not asking for a completed check list in return; He just wants to spend some time.

A question that you’ve likely been asked is, “do you love God?” It’s an important question but I’ve concluded there’s another question more vital to ask and it’s this, “do you know just how much God loves you?”