Day 17: How Deep and Wide

     Several years ago, I was standing in the upper room of a local pet shop admiring the many frogs and reptiles that were for sale.  I had chosen a frog to add to my collection and was looking at the reptiles while I was waiting for my frog.  You can read more about snakes and frogs in this post.
     A young man came up the stairs to look at the snakes.  He was a little scruffy around the edges, long haired, bearded, tatooed, wearing camo, and very obviously, missing his right arm (this will be important in a moment).  I glanced at him and went back to peering into a nearby tank.  He asked me if I were going to purchase a snake.
     "Oh, no."  I assured him, "I prefer snakes at a great distance or at least behind glass.  But I do adore frogs."   We chatted about frogs for a bit, discovering that we both had a blue dumpy frog.  It's not often that I meet someone who shares, or even understands an interest in frogs, so this young man was fun to talk to.
     The young man's passion, however, was snakes.  He rhapsodized about the many snakes he had.  He  shared about a ball python that he had gotten when it was very small.   He had it for years and it had really grown quite a bit.  He set me up and I fell right in.
     "How long is it?"
     He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye, held up his solitary left arm and said, "It's this big."  We both had a good laugh at my expense.
    In the book of Ephesians, Paul tries to describe how big God's love is for us.  It is as immeasurably large as that snake my friend was describing to me.  God is crazy about us.

     For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
     Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.     ~Ephesiaans 3:14-21

     God's love is so wide, it embraces you.  It is so long-lasting, it will never let you go.  God's love will never let you down.  His love is strong enough to entrust your children to and deep enough to meet your deepest need.
     The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  Deuteronomy 33:27
     This post is Day 17 in the 31 Day Series: Welcome to My Mess.  You can read the other posts here.