“Grandmama, you should love me best.” My 7-year-old grandson’s earnest little face looked up at me. Our family was in the middle of a nine-day vacation, a wonderful time for all our sons, daughters-in-law and our six grandchildren (ages 3-8) to laugh, love and be together.
A couple of times during the week I’d noticed a few traces of jealousy in the grandbabies—not about toys, but about me. If one sat on my leg, another would rush over and jump on the other leg and snuggle in.
I’d hug on both of them, but later in the week when my grandson uttered those words, I knew I had an opportunity to teach them an important lesson. I said, “I want to tell you something important. Grandmama loves each of you. All of you are special to me for different reasons, but I love ALL of you just as much.”
I continued, “You know how it is when you blow up a balloon? You can blow on it and blow on it again and again, but there’s still room for more air. That’s what Grandmama’s heart is like, there’s always room for enough love for all of you.” They seemed to understand that explanation and I didn’t notice any more instances of jealousy the rest of the week.
They’re children and “enough love for everyone” wasn’t something they just automatically understood—and I suspect that there are many of us adults who could also use a refresher course in that.
Many of us have grown up in homes where we didn’t feel loved and valued. We’ve dealt with issues such as low self-esteem and not feeling wanted…even in our own families. Sometimes those situations can’t be fixed, but there’s one thing we can count on: God has enough love for all of us and there will never be a shortage.
He says it best in Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
In I John 3:16, He says, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us.” Yes, friends, not only does He love us, He loved us enough to die for us. There’s no greater love than that.
I’m so grateful for the sweet security of His love—and that there’s enough for everyone. Aren’t you?
