“Your office looks really tidy mummy.” Said by my eight year old, with more than a hint of surprise in her voice. “That’s the first time it’s been tidy since before when it was daddy’s study.”

Me: I tidy my office every Sunday.

Her: Do you? Well you didn’t do it this Sunday.

Me: Yes I did. It was tidy this morning too.

Her: Well I didn’t see it.

Me: Just because you didn’t see that it was tidy, doesn’t change the fact that it was.

It reminded me of two days ago when my daughter decided that everyone hated her. More specifically, she decided that I hated her.

I didn’t and don’t of course. And how she thought I felt about her didn’t change for one second how much I love her.

And then another ‘just because’ thought popped in my head …

Just because you don’t feel like God loves you, it doesn’t change how much he does.

We like to think that we’re in charge and can make a difference to the world but there is one thing we can not do and that is make someone love us.

I mean, sure, we can help the process along. I imagine my husband would have had a harder time falling in love with me if I’d refused to speak to him or spend time with him or said mean things to him.

But my children? My love for them just happened. There is nothing they did as tiny newborn infants that coerced me into loving them.

God is love. He wrote the book on it.

So if I, mere human that I am, have this ability to just love my children, how much more possible do you think that process might be for the author?

Just because you don’t feel like God loves you, doesn’t change how much he does.