Do you love me?

"Do you like me?" That's pretty much THE question we ask everyone around us everyday. Everyday. At least if you're anything like me, I guess. Our common conversations have so much of that in it. Why else would we be so offended when we feel others don't actually listen to us while we're talking? Why else would we be so hurt when people talk bad about us? Why else do we get such enjoyment from treating others like we don't need them? Why else do we work so hard to look good physically and not focus as much on the other parts of who we are? Why else are nice clothes so important to us? I want to know people like me. But I think that just scratches the surface of what we are really longing for inside.
We want someone to love us, and more than just physically. We are desperate for someone to love us all the way through, especially through the costumes. We've grown to just accept the short-term feelings that are given when someone is impressed with whatever role we are actors in at the time. It's sad. I see it in my kids. They want me to play with them, and not always just because they need an all-time QB. They want to know that I like being with them, doing their stuff. That speaks something to them that's deeper than words. But words are powerful too. There are times, after a rough day, that as I'm walking out of their room at bedtime and turn the light off, I hear the "I love you daddy" that is more than just telling me. It's asking me. You can hear it in their voice. They are hanging on an edge and need to be reassured of that before we separate for the night. They are questioning it in the little hearts. It's sad. It's sad that they don't know because of our time together all day. I would say that it's just something to do with that age. But is it?
Abbey and I can so easily just resort to separate comfortable "cowpaths" that may not intersect for days or weeks. Does she know that I love her? There's absolutely NO WAY that she could know just based off my actions. She wants to be pursued, and I want to run. I want to be admired and she runs. It's back and forth. Then one or both of us get hurt and take our pride and go home. It's sad. She wants to know that I love her, and she wants to know if my love is even worth wanting. Sometimes it's not, but sometimes it is. It really is. So is hers. We spend too much time trying to prove to eachother and ourselves that we don't need each other. Admittedly, I need my wife. I need her encouragment, her respect, her admiration, her nuturing. She needs my attention, my compliments, my agreeablness, my strength. My kids need my time, my ability to be proud of them, my discipline, my experience.
You know, we don't think about it enough, but we ask the Lord the same question all the time. Do you love me? Are you proud of me? Did I do good Daddy? Hey, watch me! Look what I can do! Despite what I want to think, I don't believe that the Lord is always sad with me. I'm learning more and more that He didn't die for me just to have some debt that He dangles in front of me to get me motivated to do laborious duties for Him. He died for me because He loves His Father. His Father sent Him to die because they both love me. They love me, so they wanted to set me free from the chains that were holding me down in death. That's something to celebrate. They celebrate.
Sometimes we think that Christ's death just wiped the slate clean and now the game just starts over again at 0-0. No, the game is already over. He wins. We win. Our nature wants to believe that He didn't really start keeping score until we were saved. How wrong. The Lord is showing me in so many ways that He loves me. He's not our coach, our co-pilot, or our manager. He's our husband. It's a marriage, not a team. It's a family, not tryouts. We should be more like our children and ask Him to show us His love. I don't ask my kids to just "figure it out", and neither does He. Tell your children you love them and back it up with your actions. Guys, don't neglect to show and tell your wives that you love them. If we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, then there is ALWAYS a part of us loves those in our life, because He does.