When I say (as I have before) that my wife Amanda is the best of all women, I do not say it to be cute, but because in my estimation it is true. You see, I do play favorites, and the woman I have both chosen and won over, I strove for because there was no one greater to be had. In truth I look at her with a sense of pride and triumph over the rest of mankind, as much as with a deep, passionate love. I prefer her to the rest of humanity, and so you will have to excuse me if I choose her above the rest of you in any (and every) way.
In like manner, the birth of my daughter Emma has also birthed within me emotions that I did not recognize before. I've never looked at any creature with the same affection that I feel for her. It is quite a different affection than I feel for Amanda; there is pride in it, but also a zealous sense of protection. To put it bluntly, her joy and growth is more preferable to me than the joy and growth of any other child. I can only assume all parents feel the same about their own children. If I were to say that I care for all children equally, as might seem a good, humanitarian thing to say, I would be a liar. I care for her first, and then if there is any joy left for the rest of the world, let those crumbs fall to whom they will. I am jealous of her, and should anyone dare to harm her I cannot conceive of any response beside the fury of a barbarous demigod.
One might argue at this point that these emotions and behaviors are a poor reflection of God, who opens His arms to all; that these are small-minded affections, poorly fitted to God’s character. Should I not equally love and care for all children? Perhaps I should. But one look at Amanda and Emma and everyone else in the world suddenly seems unimportant to me. One might argue that, if these affections are a reflection of God's love, then His love must be a terrible thing indeed.
To that last point I say yes; terrible and wonderful. My affection for Amanda and Emma is small, not because it is altogether zealous for them, but because it is limited in scope. I care for them to the exclusion of the rest of the world. I love my family and would prefer their prosperity to that of anyone else; would protect them with extreme prejudice. Yet in this passion exists a brightly burning ember of the flame of God's love for His family.
As men, we are small creatures. It is easy to love the world when the world is just an idea, but when one is sitting at home having a cup of tea and reading a book, the world had better leave you alone; in moments like that, one is far more concerned with the butter on one's toast than with the state of affairs in China. But as a man, I am not called to preside over the world with the faithfulness of God; I am, however, called to show this faithful love to my family. As men and women, we are the gods and goddesses of our family units, and our "small" love in this corner of our world is indeed a reflection of the greater love of God.
God does not look at His children and see multiple family groups, all requiring his equal love and attention; when God looks at His children, He sees only one single family: His own. He looks at them with a passionate, zealous, jealous and protective love. It is a love which gives to them the world, even His own life. It is a love that is both terrible and wonderful; wonderful for the child, terrible for the one who would harm the child. Gentle Jesus, meek and mild (so the old song goes) warned that it is better for a man to have a millstone strapped to his neck and to be plunged into the sea than for him to harm one of God's children (Luke 17:2). Indeed, such a fate would mean drowning, the burning pain of lungs filled with saltwater until life is snuffed out, but how much more terrible to stand condemned before God for having harmed one of His children.
We would do well to take this lesson to heart. Our "small" love as parents may seem brutish, but it is not imperfect before God because of its smallness...God loves more, not because He loves more families, but because He loves His one family with even greater zeal, greater passion, and greater jealousy than we in our imperfect state can bestow upon our own small family units. How much comfort we as God's children should feel knowing that our God is so passionate about us. At the same time, what awe we should feel at knowing that not all are God's children; that God has created all for His own purpose, and that not all who exist were created for honor (Romans 9:21-22). The consideration of the wrath of God against the wicked cannot be taken lightly, for as God's love burns brighter than the sun in glory, so too does His wrath against those who would harm His family.
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