Cardinals and the love of God!

Whew, it's been quite a while, but I'm thankful to be back! I shared with some ladies the other day something that I do that sounds kind of silly, but it is a small way to help me to keep my focus on God during the day. I guess it's a another way to, in Brother Lawrence's words, "practice the presence." Whenever I see a beautiful red cardinal, I always take it as God reminding me "I love you!" I love to walk our dog, Moses, on the greenway, and I don't think I can recall a day when I haven't seen at least one (and usually several) cardinals. Whenever I see one, I whisper "I love you too, Lord!" Every time I see a cardinal now, I smile and rejoice at the extravagant love of God!

But yesterday, as I walking I was listening to the daily audio Bible podcast (which goes through the Bible in a year) and the account of Jesus' crucifixion. It was a very wet, overcast day with heavy clouds and fog. As I pondered what Jesus had done for my sin and was surrounded by bleakness and dampness, I felt overcome by the divine love that willingly endured such agony and humiliation on our behalf. And then I saw the first brilliant spot of red fly right in front of me. I smiled and thanked God for His love, and then another beautiful cardinal and another landed in front or beside me on the greenway. They each stood out like bright red jewels in the gray landscape. In the space of 10 minutes, I can't even remember how many cardinals I saw but it was probably in double figures!

It was if God was telling me, "This is how much I love you. Look at the cross and see those wounds and the crimson blood, stark against the brown and muddy ground. See My perfect, sinless Son hanging on that cross for you. See Him alone and naked and bleeding. See His betrayal and humiliation and agony. But witness His single minded determination to die for His love of you. This is how much I love you--immeasurable and unconditional and infinite." Such is the love of God. How we need to be reminded--immense, incredible, indefatigable, infinite, indestructible love! One or two cardinals just would not do it--so God sent cardinal after brilliant red cardinal to remind this often preoccupied, forgetful, selfish heart how truly great He is and how truly wonderful what Jesus has done. O Lord Jesus, I remember and I repent and I rejoice! To You alone be all the glory forever!