God Knows His Love for You

“Now you know.”

They were the only words
I could choke out
As I handed baby Mia
To my baby Bennett
On the first day of her life on earth.

It seemed yesterday
That I first held our baby boy—
Twenty-eight years gone in a blink
But the memory of holding our firstborn
Flooded my consciousness:
A powerful, inward commemoration
Of the pervasive, sweeping transformation
Of a father’s heart
That has been ravaged by the raw
Protective love that longs for good
In the child’s life so profoundly
That the dad would lay down his life
For the good of the child
Without thought or delay.

There is a love too deep for words
That arises by design in the parent’s heart
Upon first sight of the helpless baby—
A love that can’t be comprehended by an outsider.

That’s what I meant when I handed Mia
Back into her father’s arms, saying,
“Now you know.”

“I know the thoughts I have for you,”
Says the Lord (Jeremiah 29:11).
Rest in His arms, child of God,
And know that God alone knows
The depth of love He has for you.