Extravagant Love | Kyle Sutton

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

Proverbs 8:17

A customary bedtime routine with our children always consisted of a diaper change, a bottle, and some worship music as they fell asleep.  One evening, the routine did not go as planned with my oldest daughter.  As she drank her bottle, she began to choke for what seemed to be eternity, and despite all of my efforts, I could not get her to breathe.  After some time (realistically this probably didn’t last as long as it seemed), she was able to breathe again- and so was I!  I remember sitting there asking God why He could let something like that happen, and I asked him where was He when I needed him.  I remember being angry with Him.

The anger faded, but the memory remained.  “Your Love is Extravagant” was the song that was playing while all of this took place and although it used to be one of my favorites, from that moment on I couldn’t stand to hear it.  I hated that song.

It took several years for the song to intersect with my life again.  It came on the radio on my way home from work one night, and before I could reach up to shut it off, I broke out in laughter.  I realized at that exact moment how foolish I was for questioning God and wondering where He was, and I felt guilty for doubting Him.  I was so wrapped up in the trauma of the choking that I could not see the fact that God was there the whole time- it was He who allowed her to breathe again, it was His breath that filled her lungs.

In life, it is unfortunately common for us to be so focused on the bad that we forget to see(k) the good.  Especially with the current situation we are experiencing, we are constantly exposed to negative information and ominous news.  The news is always trying to show evidence and proof that things are terrible.  We must remember that the best evidence we have for anything is faith, and the good news is that our God is in control.  It is important to silence the sounds of condemnation so we can hear the voice of God’s loving assurance.  His love for us is beyond measure, it is beyond reason, it wanders beyond limits- it is an extravagant love.  Remember today that His love is greater than all doubts.