"I love you, baby."
"I love you, Mommy."
"I love you more than I loved you yesterday but not as much as I'm gonna love you tomorrow."
Age 6 Daniel pauses to take in all the words. "You always say that, Mommy."
"Because that's how I love you and I want you to always remember."
Another pause while Daniel thinks of the right word. "I love you a thousand!"
I smile. This is a new one. "I love you a million. That's a thousand of thousands."
Kisses and hugs and snuggles commence.
"But guess how much God loves you?"
Daniel looks at me expectantly. I always come up with a different answer for this one.
"How much?"
"He loves you the biggest number. Way more than a million."
"What's the biggest number called?"
I try to think of the biggest number I know. Isn't a google a one with a million zeroes? Or should I introduce a new concept?
"He loves you infinity. That's the biggest number. Nothing is more than infinity."
Young eyes light up with recognition. "You mean like 'to infinity—and beyond!' ?"
Buzz Lightyear's motto has been in my ears about a google times, but this is the first time the meaning registers in my brain. What is beyond infinity?
If only one thing, it's God's love.
"You're so smart, Daniel! God's love goes to infinity and beyond. The very biggest number of all numbers is infinity, and God's love is bigger than that."
More hugs. And smiles. Because if there's anything that makes me happy, it's when God shows me more of Himself through my kids.
The LORD has appeared to me of old, saying, "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love."
~ Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV)
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Beautiful sis, beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter and I play that same game! We just make up stuff... "I love you a million gazillion matrillion jimillion"...but I've never thought to say "To infinity and beyond!" I'm going to use that next time!
ReplyDeleteA conversation worth remembering ... always.
ReplyDeleteLovely! I'm so glad I'm loved beyond infinity. Each time I go to Disneyland I'm going to think of you and this post. =) I really needed this right now.
ReplyDeletenever heard of a number called a google before! i think it's great that you homeschool your children too.
ReplyDeleteDenise ~
ReplyDeleteYes, he's a beautiful boy. ; )
(so are you ...)
Kimberly ~
ReplyDeleteAw! You make me smile to think that there's something in us mommies that instinctively plays the same game. Isn't it amazing how God gives us the creativity for different answers to the same questions? :D
Susan ~
ReplyDeleteI wish I recorded or remembered more of these precious moments. Perhaps one aspect of Heaven will be total recall of the true love and true good we've enjoyed on Earth.
Tana ~
ReplyDeleteI'm always pleased to hear that God used my words in the hour you needed them. (Thank You, Lord!) \o/
Bud ~
ReplyDeleteOkay, now you made me go look it up. A google is a one followed by 100 zeroes, so I was right about it being a really big number but WAY off on how big.
And I'm glad we homeschool too. With their dad on police shifts, it makes for some interesting scheduling ... and some delays on comment replies. (Catching up tho !)
What a wonderful story, and a wonderful reminder of how BIG our God is and how much He loves us.
ReplyDeleteThis brought tears to my eyes...how very precious!
ReplyDeleteKeli ~
ReplyDeleteI can't even imagine noticing streets of gold once we can fully experience how big God and His love are. :D
Mary ~
ReplyDeleteAbout the time you were typing your comment, Daniel was reading this post. I wasn't thinking of him when I used words like "recognition" and "commence," so we had to slow down a couple of times for me to help him. Those were the only moments when his smile dimmed. Just watching him read this story "about Daniel and God" was as good as when it first happened.