How Deep the Father's Love

As she rejoices over the birth of a grandson, Sheri Wohlfert marvels at the many ways God works in our lives.

Lord, you have probed me, you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar. (Psalm 139:1-2)

How often do we sit still and contemplate the power of this verse? We are loved and cherished by a God who knows everything about us because He loves us and wants to help steer us right back to Himself. He is consumed with constant thoughts about us, His creatures, but I wonder how much time we spend consumed with thoughts of Him?

Wednesdays in my classroom were called “What’s He doin' Wednesdays” and students had a chance to share where they had seen Christ working in their lives. The truth of the matter is, He’s constantly working in our lives—but we just don’t always notice. The whole point of this activity was to make us all more aware of the ways He is constantly leading, loving, and directing our lives. The fruit of this process is a greater recognition and appreciation for His constant presence in our days. As I type, I’m looking across the room at a really giant “What’s He doin' Wednesday."

null

I’m looking at my newest grandchild, Dominic David. My heart was a little heavy about the arrival of this grandbaby because he’s 600 miles away and I was just so afraid I’d miss everything but God is so fancy He allowed Dominic to be born in time for me to spend a week here in Missouri before I needed to get to Michigan to speak at a conference.

During labor, Shannon played the same Praise and Worship mix on Spotify she listened to while she was pregnant. At the exact moment she gave the last push and Dominic came into the world, the song “How Deep The Father’s Love” began to play.

It was like a giant exclamation point to the whole experience. This just so happened to be the same song Shannon sang at her Grandma and Grandpa Wohlferts funerals. It was like God was whispering “I’m here … loving you through the struggles and the triumphs!” I have heard Shannon sing that song at Adoration and Mass so many times, I just couldn’t help but be reminded that He loves her more than I do and His love is much deeper and wider than the 600 miles that separate us.

Today, I got to go to Dominic’s one-week checkup and Shannon said, “Wait till you meet the nurse.” I was blown away because nurse Janie was a carbon copy of my Aunt Mary. Aunt Mary was my mom’s older sister, and she holds a place in my heart I just can’t quite describe. She was gentle, loving, generous, and faithful. Her legs were long and her steps were quick, but she listened and connected like there was not a single other person on the planet when you chatted with her.

Nurse Janie was all of those things and she cooed, giggled, and loved on Dominic and Shannon like they were her own family. I couldn’t believe God not only put this truly lovely woman in their life but he made her look, act, love, and sound like someone who brings so much joy to my soul.

Click to tweetL
As my heart nearly explodes with the love I have for this little human, it doesn’t even come close to the depth of love the Father has for us. #CatholicMom

Since I’ve been here, neighbors and friends have come to celebrate Dominic’s arrival and bring food and goodies and gifts. This house has been a steady stream of friends and family who adore my grandson and his mom and dad. Again and again, God has let me know how deep His love is for this little family, and it wouldn’t matter if I was 6 or 600 miles away.

In a few days I will get on a plane and go home in awe of how tender and personal His love and care is for all of His children, but for right now, I’ll take a turn in the wee hours of the night to rock my grandson while his mamma and daddy sleep and realize that as my heart nearly explodes with the love I have for this little human, it doesn’t even come close to the depth of love the Father has for us.