Today is the birthday of the child who ushered me into motherhood 42 years ago. Nelson’s arrival did what every first baby’s arrival does: it turned our world upside-down!

As we’ve been told by the experts, becoming a parent sets you up for the highest highs and lowest lows you’ll ever know. Nelson and I have talked about this many times in reference to him being our firstborn, each discussion an interesting one. Despite a few difficult moments in our happy history, I can honestly say I’ve never loved Nelson more than I do today. And if Nate were here, he’d ditto that.

The strange thing about love is that it’s capable of growing and growing without ever stopping. When love is true (whether it’s parent-to-child, husband-to-wife, friend-to-friend, or something else), if it’s genuine, it’ll never fade with time. Real love doesn’t diminish even when someone causes trouble or makes poor decisions with negative fall-out. True love just never gets done loving.

Of course there are versions of love that do wear out, but these aren’t true love at all. It may seem so at the time, but true love has many imposters: infatuation, passion, obligation, affection, self-serving “love,” and others. Genuine love doesn’t shrink. It only expands.

Our love-model is God, who visibly demonstrated it through his Son. Other than true love, what could possibly have motivated Jesus to swap his heavenly life of perfection for an earthly life of hardship? And what but true love could motivate the Father to let him go? And they’re still loving to that extreme today.

As for me, I’ve been the cause of all kinds of lows and negative fall-out in my relationship with the Lord. That’s why I’m ever-grateful his love isn’t based on my performance. If it was, he would have turned away years ago. But he promises a true love that won’t ever weaken, no matter what I do or don’t do. What a relief!

Sometimes I wonder if true love as we know it here on earth has anything in common with the perfect love of the Father and Son. As I think about Nelson today on his birthday and how my love for him (and of course others) has swelled over the years, I wonder if the love of our heavenly Relatives is enlarging the same way toward us. More than likely, that’s true.

True love.

“The Lord your God is in your midst…. He will quiet you by his love.” (Zephaniah 3:17)