Love You Forever
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Culture Editor
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. – 1 John 4:16
One of my mother’s favorite books is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. For those of you who haven't read it, the story begins with a young woman rocking her newborn baby to sleep as she sings this lullaby:
I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living,
My baby you’ll be.
The book then jumps forward through various stages the child's life, from troublesome toddler, to stubborn adolescent, to crazy teenager. In each instance, the mother is left shouting "This kid is driving me CRAZY!" Yet, whenever her child is asleep, she always makes her way into the bedroom to sing:
I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living,
My baby you’ll be.
It's amazing how such a small book can hold so much meaning. In only a few pages the author was able to capture the very essence of motherhood; its frustration, its unconditional love, and perhaps something more. Whether he intended to or not, I believe Munsch also created a perfect allegory for the gospel of Christ. How can we look at that messy, misbehaving child and not see ourselves? And how can we look at the mother and not see a reflection of God's love?
I sometimes wonder if God has ever shouted "These kids are driving me CRAZY!" Heaven knows we've done enough to earn that much. Yet no matter what we do, no matter how much we change, Christ is always there with outstretched arms, whispering over us:
I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living,
My baby you’ll be.
Intersecting Faith and Life: This Mother’s Day, thank your mom for all the amazing things she does.
Further Reading
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