The God of Apple Juice and Spilled Milk

By Karen Cogan

Through heartfelt reflections, Karen Cogan unveils the tender compassion and boundless grace inherent in God's nurturing embrace. Just as a loving parent guides their children through life's trials and triumphs, God gently leads us with wisdom and understanding. From moments of celebration to seasons of challenge, His steadfast presence remains a beacon of hope and comfort.

Yet, The God of Apple Juice and Spilled Milk also delves into the concept of discipline, a topic often misunderstood in the context of God's love. With sensitivity and insight, Karen uncovers the transformative power of divine correction. Just as a caring parent disciplines their child for growth and maturity, God's loving correction molds us into vessels of His purpose and grace.

In these pages, readers will discover:

The profound depth of God's love surpasses all human understanding.

Insights into the nurturing qualities of God as a compassionate parent.

The transformative nature of divine discipline in shaping our character.

Practical wisdom for embracing the love and correction of our Heavenly Father.

The God of Apple Juice and Spilled Milk is a stirring testament to the enduring love of God, inviting readers to experience His tender care and gentle guidance in every aspect of life. Whether you are a parent seeking spiritual insight or a yearning to deepen your understanding of God's love, this book offers solace, wisdom, and inspiration for the journey ahead.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karen Cogan Books
• Release date: Mar 27, 2024
• ISBN: 9781370873753

Karen Cogan

Karen enjoys writing all of her historical romance.     

Book preview

FOREWORD

To trust God to act in our best interest is an essential part of growing in faith. Yet, when life seems unfair and our best plans come unraveled, even if we don't say them, many of our childish accusations, once directed at our parents, are now directed at God.

The childish, You're mean, becomes Why do you let me suffer?

Everyone else gets to... becomes Why do I have to obey God's moral laws?

Why can't I have what I want? becomes Why don't You give me everything I pray for?

It isn't until we grow older that we understand how the child's own good lies at the basis of a loving parent's actions. It isn't until we mature in Christ that we understand God’s reactions are also for our own good. His love for us and our love for our children can be compared in common everyday parenting experiences. These experiences can help develop a faith that trusts in God even when we do not understand His actions, just as our children must trust our motives when they do not understand our decisions. This trust can develop a peace in our lives that allows us to direct our energy away from confusion and bitterness and toward trust and acceptance. Let’s begin.

CHAPTER ONE

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

In The Beginning

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; Genesis 1:2a (RSV)

Many young couples begin to feel there is a void in their lives that only a child could fill. They long for someone to love and protect, care for and teach. (Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; Genesis 1:26a RSV).

We long for a child, made in our image. When we get the good news, we collect items for the expected arrival and plan the nursery with great care, keeping the baby's needs and comforts in mind, just as God prepared for us. (And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food... Genesis 2:8 ESV).

Could it be only a co-incidence that the scriptural accounts of God's preparation and feelings for mankind compare so closely with those of human parents for their children? Surely not. Perhaps God, in His wisdom, allows us insight into His nature by allowing us to share, in a small way, in the act of creation and the resulting feelings and responsibilities we share with Him in the act of parenting.

It follows that, until we relate our relationship to God as that of a parent, He may seem far away, His actions difficult to understand. Though we cannot hope to fathom the mind of God, we can gain insight into His nature when we compare our own parenting decisions with the choices God makes for us.

As we love, discipline, comfort, and direct our children, we find parallels of God's love and direction.

Perhaps God planned parenting as one way to understand His love. He invests Himself in us just as we invest ourselves in our children. Whether you are a parent or not, it is my hope these parenting parallels will lead you to a greater understanding of the relationship God desires with you, His child.

In His Own Image

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 (NIV)

Want a crash course in unconditional love? All you have to do is become a parent. When I held my first born, I discovered what it meant to love someone with unconditional love. I stared at the red-faced, wrinkled, bundle and marveled that she was part of us. She had her father's eyes and my nose. Even so, when her grandparents came to visit we heard, She looks just like your baby picture, from each set. Though there may have been some nostalgia at work, she did, indeed, favor us.

I couldn't wait to get her home and watch her grow. I had so many plans for the things I would teach her and the experiences we would share. Though I knew there would be tedious moments when she would try my patience, I knew from her moment of birth, nothing could separate her from my love.

Likewise, the Father of the human race created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them; Gen. 1:27 (RSV) God’s role as the parent of mankind is confirmed by the beginning of the Lord's Prayer, Our Father who art in Heaven. And again, when Jesus says, If you knew me, you would know my father, also.(John 8:19, NIV) He must look at His children and feel an even greater unconditional love than we feel for our newborns.

The Parent Loves First

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

We love our children unconditionally, simply because they exist. We love them through failures and disappointments. And most remarkably, we love them before they are able to return our love. Likewise, God's love for us comes before our love for Him.

Frederick Whitfield wrote a beautiful hymn that declares in the chorus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus—Because he first loved me!

And God's love for us, like ours for our children, is not based on what we may do for Him. When I resigned from teaching to stay home with my baby, my self-worth unfortunately stayed with my job. I confided to a Christian friend, Now that I'm staying home with the baby, I don't feel important. It's what I want to do, but I don't get the feeling of being respected I did from a career.

Your baby is valuable to you even though she doesn't hold a job, right? she asked.

I raised an eyebrow. Right.

I suppose God feels the same way about you. It's not the job that makes you important. You are important in God's eyes simply because you exist. You are His child.

She was right, of course. I've yet to hear any parent tell his or her newborn, I'll love you as soon as you make something of yourself. Grow up and become a famous surgeon or a powerful lawyer. Then, I'll love you.

We love our children simply because they are... not because of what they are. It is a love that endures even when we disapprove of words or actions. It is unearned love. It is similar to God's love for us.

The Bible assures us that ...neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39(NIV)

Human parents understand this bond. It begins before birth. There, in the womb, a tiny baby is loved before he can return love or is aware that he is loved. He is loved merely because he exists.

It doesn't matter whether the child will be a boy or girl, have brown eyes or blue, hair or no hair. While they are yet unable to show affection (in fact, the kicks and squirms can be uncomfortable) the parents have a deep love and sense of protection for this small being who has no awareness of them.

Comparing the feelings of human parents to the Biblical account of God, we realize how much we are like children to God. As we kick and squirm our way through life, God watches over us, caring even when we are indifferent or unaware of His interest. Like a baby in the womb, we are loved even when we are unaware of that love.

Love Overcomes Failure

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1a (NIV)

The fear of failure should not keep us from reaching for the personal growth God wishes us to attain. Though we may feel insecure, we must remember God is not impressed by titles or stations in life. He has often used people of very humble stations for His most important missions.

Along these lines, I am reminded of a story I recently heard. A little boy came home in tears from a baseball game. He told his dad, I struck out three times in a row and the other kids laughed at me.

The father put his arm around his son and said, We'll work on your batting together. But you know I’ll always like you just as much whether you strike out or make a home run.

That father knew what a hurting child needed to hear. He offered love which could not be bought by success or lost by failure.

Jesus' disciples made mistakes. Yet, he still loved them. They were as close to Him as perhaps anyone could be. Yet, when Jesus was arrested at Gethsemane, all of the disciples forsook Him and fled, Mt.26:56 (RSV). Peter denied knowing Jesus while Jesus was held at the house of the high priest. He must have felt that he had failed the Lord when he heard the cock crow. His remorse was so bitter that he went out and wept.

Remorse can be a good thing. It can spur us to higher achievements. However, God expects us to move past the remorse, turn to him for direction, and get on with our lives.

Jesus saw the possibilities his disciples possessed instead of their failures. He knew they had what it took to carry on the works he had begun. He entrusted them with his ministry and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus believed in them. This trust inspired them to put their failures behind them and accept God's call.

As we pursue God's will for our lives, He will be with us whether we triumph or fall flat on our faces. His love