GOSPEL

No book, no Bible study, no church service or sermon has taught me the reality of God's love and grace like marriage and family have.

Trying to love my wife and kids the way Christ loves the church has been extremely difficult to do, despite their near perfection.

I love our three daughters.  When they were small and I would say, 'No candy right now,' I wasn't trying to steal joy from her; I was trying to ultimately add to her joy.  When I would say, 'Don't run in the street, honey.  You could be hit by a car,' I wasn't trying to steal excitement from her; I was trying to increase her life so she could experience more excitement.

And in that moment, as I'm attempting to increase their joy and their potential for future excitement and life and she says to me: 'I don't want that from you, Dad.  I'll do it the way I want to do it,' and she wars against what I so desperately want for her -- in that moment -- God is going:  'This is just like another story I know.  The one where I'm trying to lead you, Kevin, and you're like, "Nope, I got this.  I know better."'

It's at that point I start to understand the great love of Christ for me that despite the fact that I war against His hand of love my direction, He continues to pursue me and grace me and extend mercy to me.

In those very few moments when I might lavish affection on Joelene and find her not responding the way I want her to - which is so rare - all of a sudden I begin to grasp the richness of the Gospel of Christ for me - the depth of His grace and forgiveness toward me.

All of that is so hard because when it's hard, we understand the Gospel of Jesus better.  When it's hard, we're more dependent on God.

And be blessed.