"Nothing"

Ok, so I know that I don't usually get very "deep" here, but tonight I feel the need to stray away from my typical latest updates on baby C and focus on some new "stuff" I'm learning as a parent. First off, some background info.

Neal and I recently (3 weeks ago) started attending a new campus that has become a part of our very large church. It's closer to our house and the current Sunday morning assembly times work really well with Camden's feeding/nap schedule. He has napped through church for the past two Sundays, and it has been glorious! Also, he goes to the nursery while we go to class, so we get to have some time where neither one of is having to keep him happy and entertained. We can focus on some adult time. Even though I have been a nervous wreck with him in the nursery, our son has adjusted like a pro. In fact, I think he likes the attention that the nursery helpers give him. He's one of the cute ones, so he gets held a lot. :) But, I digress.

So, we have been enjoying our "new" church home. Each week, we meet a new couple or two or three, and we end up having great conversations and even exchange contact info in hopes of meeting up later on. Also, we have run into other friends that we know from our small group who have been giving the new campus a try. I personally love the size and the welcoming qualities of this church. Even though the worship times are going to change to accommodate the new growth, we will still probably stick with it because we are enjoying meeting new people.

Last week, we tried to go to a class for young families/young marrieds/singles and ended up in the young families (but really people who have children in college, but don't want to admit that they are no longer young families) class, and we were somewhat disappointed. So, this week, we made a point to find the right class, and the topic happens to be "Nothing." Literally, they are looking through the Bible for references to the word nothing and designing lessons around those passages. This week the lesson was over Romans 8:38-39 about how nothing can separate us from God's love. I liked how the teacher seemed to try to make it personal by bringing up stuff from his life experiences and he had good points. However, it is always frustrating that people in college or the just out of college age group often seem to refuse to talk in Sunday School. Neal and I encountered this same response when we co-facilitated a college class on Sunday mornings when we lived in Little Rock. We even tried the cool, post modern Nooma videos, but they were still very closed off. Anyway, maybe they will open up more as we get to know each other better.

Speaking of Nooma videos, the teacher showed one that we had already seen called Lump. I vaguely remembered the title from when Neal and I watched them 6 years ago. But, as we started watching it, I remembered seeing this particular one, and I remembered that I had thought, "Oh, that's a cool way to illustrate how God will always love us, no matter what we do. Nothing can separate us. Cool." Then, I forgot about it, and moved on with life. Now, as a parent watching that same video, I thought, "Whoa! I completely understand how God can love us even when we mess up. I love Camden that much!" I almost teared up in the middle of the class. The speaker in the video (Rob Bell) tells a story of his son doing a few things he shouldn't and how when he gets "busted," he is so ashamed that he runs and hides under the comforter in his parents' bedroom. When his dad comes home, he pulls back the blanket, holds his son (who is sobbing), and tells him over and over again that nothing he does will ever make him love him less.

Now, I have a hard time picturing Camden ever doing anything wrong, because he is still too young and innocent to know right from wrong, but I think about how I put up with his fussing, I change his diapers (even the stinky ones), and I make sure he has plenty of milk to drink - even when I don't feel like it, or I'm tired, or I'm frustrated, simply because I love him, and I couldn't imagine not doing those things for him. I know that the time will come when he'll disobey me, but even then, I will be reminded of why I love him so much. And, that's just a fraction of how much God loves us!

Neal and I were discussing this on the way home from church, and we pointed out that the teacher in our class mentioned that even people can say to each other that we will love each other no matter what, and that nothing will come in the way of that love. We're not supposed to have exceptions, but sometimes, later on down the road, we realize the exceptions or the things that make us love others less. So, because of that, I think it is sometimes hard to remember that God does not have those exceptions, and he never falls out of love with us. Having that reminder today made me realize how important it is for me to keep loving the ones I have been blessed with in my life - no exceptions.

Now, watching that video, I have a very clear picture of God holding me and all my imperfections and whispering over and over again, "Nothing you can do will ever make me stop loving you. Nothing. Nothing." I think that becoming a parent is one of the ways that He is teaching me about His love for me, and I am so thankful that I get to experience this. I'm also so grateful for our church family!