It’s not something I was taught, it’s just there, deep & natural; an instinct. Every morning I look at my son and out of my mouth comes a song.
A different song every day, but the theme always the same - he is good & I love him.
Three months into the new mom life and the awe continues. This boy is so good. And new mom life continues to teach me that God likes us more than I'd realized.
“Boone, I really like you,” is a common lyric in my daily songs. This lyric won’t change if he’s having trouble with letters in kindergarten. It won’t change if he hits a mean spell in 3rd grade and hurts his classmates feelings. It won’t change if he gets fired from his first job or gets a divorce or 5 divorces or never makes much money…I’m still going to like him.
That’s God’s way stamped into me.
A few years ago, in the red light district in Hong Kong, I got to help decorate a room where ladies would come to eat, be seen, be loved. A room to rest from cat calls and perversion. So I charged up and down the streets gathering wood pallets from trash piles. With a pry bar and a lot of sweaty time, I dissected the pallets then nailed them into flat signs. In white dainty script, a friend painted this hope across one of the signs;
“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing. -Zephaniah 3:17”
We hung that hope up in the middle of the room, in the middle of the red light district. All of us sat together on the couch and every day, could look up at that happy statement — God likes us and sings to us.
Isn’t that what we all need hear?
If you’re a sex worker, a farmer, a truck driver or a stay-at-home mom—this is truth we need.
What’s His song sound like? Judging from the songs that are naturally flowing out of my own heart, which was designed in God’s image, I’m guessing His song involves these words;
I’ve got you.
Don’t be afraid.
I’m here.
It’s ok.
You’re good.
You’re amazing.
I like you.
I love you.
You’re mine.
When Jesus came here to show us what God’s like, He got baptized. When He came out of the water, God’s voice boomed from Heaven so everyone could hear it. God proclaimed this over Jesus;
“This is My beloved Son, with Him I am well pleased.”
Because of the Cross, because of redemption, we’re given the same approval as Jesus (John 17:26, Romans 3:24, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21).
So God booms the same affirmation over us. Wow.
Catholic priest Richard Rohr writes,
“After fourteen years as a chaplain in the Albuquerque jails, I am convinced that the reason people make great mistakes is because they have never heard what Jesus heard on the day of his baptism. They never heard another human voice, much less a voice from heaven, say to them, “You are a beloved son. You are a beloved daughter and in you I am well pleased.” If we’ve never had anyone believe in us, take delight in us, affirm us, call us beloved, we don’t have anywhere to begin. There’s nothing exciting and wonderful to start with, so we spend our whole lives trying to say those words to ourselves: “I’m okay, I’m wonderful, I’m great.” But we don’t really believe it. The word has to come from someone greater than us. That’s really a parent’s primary job—to communicate to their child that they are a beloved, eternally-existing child of God. Our jails are filled to over-flowing with people who never heard this foundational message—and sadly, so is much of our world. The only purpose of the gospel, and even religion, is to communicate that one and eternal truth. Once we have that straight, nothing can stop us and no one can take it away from us, because it is given only, always, and everywhere by God—for those who will accept it freely. My only job and any preacher’s job is to try to replicate and resound that eternal message of God that initiates everything good on this earth—You are beloved children of God!”
Surely God enjoys us way more than we can imagine. And surely that’ll change our lives if we’ll let it.
God’s Story, the Gospel, is called Good News.
What a load off our tired striving backs.
We named our son Boone. It’s from the French word “bon” which means “good.” We want him to live his life knowing God has made him good.
I believe God wants you and me to live the same.
“You are good and I love you.”
God, help us hear Your song.