Consider some of the awe inspiring, jaw dropping feats of God: Speaking all creation into existence, halting the sun and moon during an Israelite battle and raising Christ from the grave. It’s fairly obvious that God must hold endless power over everything in the universe. Well, he does … almost. There is one area that God has allowed Himself to be left completely helpless; the God able to form galaxies with a breath will not make me love Him.
When God filled Adam’s lungs with oxygen, God did so knowing that He had created within Adam the power of choice. And it is in this choice, the choice between loving God and denying Him our love that you and I, mere humans, make the God of heaven and earth helpless. He can call on the ocean to be calmed and yet, when you and I get to the place where we must decide what we will do with this man Jesus, He can do nothing to force us to choose either way. With eternal separation from the sinner hanging in the balance, He must let the sinner choose: life or death.
Out of this helplessness, emerges the greatest love story ever known. The Savior of the world is found hopelessly, inexplicably and wholly in love with His creation. This lover of my soul desires so much for me to find my way to His throne room, that He sacrifices Himself through His son. He is willing to give up everything to hold His creation in His arms and for His creation, to embrace Him in return.
Possibly one of the worst feelings that exists is to love, yet not be loved in return. Though most of us have felt this way at some point, imagine the torment of being rejected by a soul you designed. This is not the love of a parent; this surpasses the love that could be found paternally or even maternally. This is the love of the one who meticulously designed every hair, every cell of our being. This is the love of a Creator.
The hopeless romantic is often viewed through eyes of sympathy or misunderstanding. From the outside it is difficult to consider enduring the pain of countless rejections for a moment with the object of affection. From the inside there is nothing more rational. Our Father is no different, willing to seek each of us out tirelessly, putting aside the knowledge that many of us will ultimately reject Him.
This is our God, our Father. He is in love with us more deeply than we will ever understand. He is desperate for us, longing to be loved in return. He is willing to give everything in His pursuit of us. He is helpless; feeling Himself getting weak in the knees at the idea of us loving Him. He is the Bridegroom waiting for His bride. He is hopelessly in love with us. He is the greatest love our hearts will ever know.
