Lesson: Why Does God Love Us So Much?

One day while I was working on a computer problem at church, a three-year-old girl began asking me the "why" questions. Most adults can easily come up with answers that satisfy the children's questions, but few can ever put an end to that kind of inquisition. Sooner or later they ask a question that you cannot answer with ease...

"Why does God love us so much?" she asked.

I was stunned, for she had just asked a question that I have struggled with for years. Sure I could have cooked up something to get to the next question, and three-year-old minds tend to be receptive to whatever you tell them anyway, but this question was simply too important for me to push aside. I finally admitted to her that she had just asked a question to which I have no real answer, and it may be something that we can never understand. Admitting defeat to a three-year-old is never easy, especially since the questions seem so simple...

So I pondered on that question afterwards, and I'm no closer to an answer than when she asked the question. Everything about the extent of God's love is, may I say, irrational. God's love is too much for us who are so undeserving...

Then I realized that maybe God never asked himself that question. Maybe he just loves. Maybe "why" is not the question he asked when he decided on coming down to die for us. In contrast, I find myself asking the "why" questions almost constantly: "why should I help this stranger?" or "why does he deserve my love" or "why can't they understand what I'm trying to do for them?" You get the idea.

Maybe the question we should ask is: "How can I..." "Why" is perhaps not the question that we should ask... Maybe God loves us so much because he never asked "why."

This article is written by George Huang. Got a question or want to publish this lesson? E-mail me.

Last updated: 2/10/2000