Truly Love

Oh, how we love our precious innocent childrenwho depend on us to honor their innocence and teach them what is rightand Who is the one true God!! Encouraging young parents through 'tough love' when training little children reminds usover and over how parenting our earthly childrenreflects a picture of our Heavenly Father as He 'parents' us, doesn't it?!We sure must test His patience sometimes as we ignore His commands.What a kind and merciful Father he is!He took the time to appoint/establish commandments that,if we obey them will lead to peace and joy!Sometimes we use 'happiness' as an excuse to bend or break His rulesinstead of trusting the love that puts boundaries in place! Today's scripture reading included the account of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments from God...Imagine what this world would be like if we obeyed them/Him?! Our Heav’nly Father cares for us: so He sets Ground RulesAnd boundaries, to keep in check our bent to being foolsAnd making deadly choices when temptation’s lure is tossedTo echo 'did ’ when innocence was lostAnd Eve believed the liar and did eat, and Adam tooOne bite began the plight of man that still tests me and you Our Heav’nly Father cares for us; so, he gave us His Word to comfort and undergirdTo be in a world dark withoutto vanquish fear and doubtWhere we would stray into the way Where the romance of ignorance sets a Death-trap of Thought Our Heav’nly Father cares for us; He knows that we are prone if He leaves us aloneSo, like all loving parents do, He authors boundariesTo safeguard precious darlings against lurking enemiesBecause like children we will never fully understandThe love that cares enough to guard desire with command Our Heav’nly Father cares for us; He works for our goodHow often we do not appreciate Him like we shouldAnd thank him for His steadfast righteousness and truth and graceTo anchor us so that we do not drift from place to placeBut embrace the sweet peace we find with awed epiphanyGod’s flawless laws and precepts do not bind but set us free Our Heav’nly Father cares for us; what perfect happinessTo walk, not in the counsel of wicked ungodlinessBut in the way where blessing will both console and chastiseLike the tough love of parents who are vigilant and wiseAs they train up a child to see choice leads to consequenceAnd love is only truly love with a commandment-fence © Janet Martin Psalm 1:1-5 Blessed is the manWho walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,Nor stands in the path of sinners,Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;But his delight is in the law of the Lord,And in His law he meditates day and night.He shall be like a treePlanted by the rivers of water,That brings forth its fruit in its season,Whose leaf also shall not wither;And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so,But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.