God welcomes us into his family like a newborn
"See how very much our heavenly father loves us, for He allows us to be called His children, and we really are!"
- 1 John (NLT)
Among my nursing jobs over the years, I worked in the newborn nursery. As I performed my task I gathered the newborn babies from their mother's bedsides and brought them back to the hospital nursery for visiting hours.
I combed their soft, silken hair and bundled their tiny bodies in blankets of pink and blue to prepare them for their initial presentation to family members.
I listened while the announcement for visiting hours echoed over the loudspeaker. Soon, groups of families began to gather outside the nursery viewing window. As they motioned for my attention, I listened closely as they proudly pronounced the last name of the baby they anxiously awaited to see.
Bending over the basinet, I picked up the baby and propped it in the crook of my elbow. Then I held up their precious bundle of joy for everyone to see.
Tears of joy streamed down the cheeks of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Their faces broke out with huge smiles and loving expressions that conveyed the pleasure that pierced their hearts.
I can identify with the happiness portrayed by these families, since recently I received a new grandbaby. This joy makes me think about how God is also excited the day we are born.
God loves us the like a family loves and welcomes their new arrival. Babies don't earn love from their families, they simply receive it. It works the same way between us and God. However, many people think that they have lost the approval of God due to mistakes of their past.
But God proved his love for us when he allowed his son to die on the cross for our sin. When we ask and receive that forgiveness there is no mistake that will remove God's love for us. We only need to open our hearts like the newborn baby and receive it.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at Annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.