I remember the first time I heard the words breadth, length, height, and depth as they applied to the Father’s love for us. While I was running around the house doing my caregiving duties, and just being mom to all three of my kiddos, I would listen to a particular radio show. This idea stopped me in my tracks. Who cares about clean laundry when your spiritual foundation is being reformed?

We often hear about God’s love as we sit in church, almost to the point of excluding any other of his characteristics. So my brain often tuned out as soon as I heard anything along those lines. I knew God loved me. I just didn’t think through the details very deeply.

But when I heard those four words, my creative mind kicked in. I saw myself at the edge of the ocean where we vacationed when I was little. I saw God’s love stretching from left to right beyond my sight. I saw his love roll out to the horizon, meeting the setting sun. It went to the murky depths of the ocean floor where there was no light and then reaching back toward the shining heavens. In those moments, his love became real to me. And its size was wondrous.

Our finite minds have a hard time with an infinite God, but when you begin to understand how vast his love is, you also begin to understand how precious you are to him. The following verses in Ephesians say “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” 

I am thankful for the lesson I learned that day. Seeing love as our culture describes it always leaves something wanting. God’s love is perfect. It is vast. It is real. The whole Bible is a love story between God and his creation—between Christ and the church. Read your love story today.