"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
This week in my classroom we are talking about flowers. Today I tried to explain on a two year old level what the importance of roots is; how they hold the plant in place and drink up the water to send to the rest of the plant. It didn't go well. But as I sit here reading this verse over and over again trying to get it to sink into my own heart, I am amazed at how God constantly takes what I am teaching and teaches me with it.
Through faith we are planted into this love of Christ. It surrounds our roots and holds us in place when the winds of adversity blow. Through this faith and love, we soak up the power (through the Holy Spirit) which is then carried to the rest of the body to enable us to live each day to the fullest as God gives.
As I dissect this verse a bit further, I notice that we are given this power so that we may grasp this love of Christ. This love is not something we can comprehend on our own, it takes the power of the Holy Spirit in us, reminding and teaching us about this love...it is that intense. He loves us with reckless abandon, even when it doesn't feel like it.
Though I believe head knowledge is important - that it must start with the simple truth in our minds that God really does love us in the ugly moments of life - this verse speaks of something far beyond what you know in your mind; an experience that is beyond mere human words. It is talking about holding on to faith in His love when everything tells you to let go. And then when you do let go and give up, finding out that He was holding on to you all along. He will never let His children go.
The amazing part of this is that God is willing to fill us to overflowing. He is the source of this love - a source that will never run dry. When He floods us with His love, others will see it. It facilitates our relationships with those around us and gives us the chance to love the unlovable in a way that will demonstrate His power and love for them.
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