Becky Kopitzke

Devotions for Moms

  • Lifestyle & Faith
    • Blog
    • Resource Library
  • Writer Coaching
  • Books
  • Speaking
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Amazon Favorites

Does God Love Everybody Equally?

December 11, 2018

Do your kids ever accuse you of favoritism? Mine never had—until a few weeks ago.


On our first day of Thanksgiving break, I ran to the store for a few last-minute ingredients, an errand which took longer than I’d anticipated. No big deal, normally, but on this particular day my family had somewhere to be in an hour, and I realized I was running out of time to make lunch for my two children. So I called home, where my younger daughter answered the phone.

“Hi, Mommy.”

“Hi, sweetheart. You must be getting hungry. I’m going to grab some lunch for you while I’m out, okay? I’ll bring it home as soon as I can.”

“Okay! Thanks, Mom! I love you!” And we both hung up happy.

Ten minutes later I sat in my minivan, contemplating the half dozen cars ahead of me in the drive-thru line. My phone lit up in my purse and I reached for it.

A text from my older daughter.

Here is our exact conversation.

For real. What mother would buy McDonald’s for one hungry child but not the other? I was kind of thrown, I mean, surely my daughter knows I love her just as much as I love her little sister, right? I don’t play favorites. I never have. What in the history of my parenting has ever suggested inequality? It was lunchtime for us all—how could my firstborn actually think I would treat one girl to fries and let the other starve (or suffer a homemade peanut butter sandwich by comparison)?

Ridiculous.

But.

Is it, really?

Because we do this, too, don’t we? With God.

Lord, why did my co-worker get a big fat promotion while I’m still stuck in this dead-end job?

How does that other mom get a baby who sleeps 12 hours straight when mine is still up three times a night at age 3?

God, you repaired my friend’s marriage. Why won’t you fix mine? Don’t you care?

Why does she get that beautiful hair and that perfect skin and those quartz countertops and a vacation home in Florida?

I can’t believe you’re giving the good stuff to someone else and not to me!!

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a)

The truth is, God’s love is enormous, infinite, and complex. He loves us as a Father to His children, only better, because He is not limited by human parenting imperfections. Does He love us all equally? I prefer to think He loves us each uniquely—because we are custom-designed, created by God for unique purposes. We are each a one-of-a-kind model, which makes us irreplaceable, rather than equal in a cookie-cutter kind of way.

It makes sense, then, that His gifts to us would be unique as well. Yet they do not indicate favoritism.

His love is too amazing for that.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, 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.” (Ephesians 3:17b–19)

If you’re a parent, you get this. When a new child is born into the family, our hearts don’t divide to share a limited quantity of love and affection. They grow to make room for a whole new individual, someone with unique traits and desires we long to fulfill. Even my McDonald’s visit illustrates this truth. I bought lunch for two children, yes, but I ordered different menu items according to their preferences—cheeseburger for one, hamburger for the other. Ketchup for one, no ketchup for the other. Pickles for one, hold the pickles for the other. In other words, the gift fit the child. Not equal, but unique.

God knows us each better than we know ourselves. He gives us what we need, when we need it, which may look different from what somebody else gets but that’s God’s business, not ours. Comparison is the work of the devil. Let’s not allow it to steal our joy.

Because one thing is for certain. God is not sitting in the drive-thru plotting which child He wants to disappoint today. To paraphrase Saint Augustine, God is always thinking about each of us—as though there were only one of us. And that is a depth of love we may never fully understand.

We can only accept it.

Praise the Lord.

Blessings,
Becky

What to Read Next: My Single Smartest Rule for Parenting Well

This post first appeared on TheCourage.

  • Share
  • Pin
  • Tweet
Become a Patron!

Filed Under: God's Love, Identity, Personal Growth & Faith, The Courage, Trusting God

Join My Community

    Which updates you want to get from Becky?

    Meet Becky.

    If you love your kids but you sometimes forget to feed them lunch, if you're crazy about your husband but some days you want to set his hunting gear on fire, and if you adore Jesus with your whole heart yet you mess up time and time again, then you and I are friends already.

    We need each other. I'm so glad you're here.

    Subscribe to Me on YouTube

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoyavx3CZvM

    Follow me on Instagram

    beckykopitzke

    📚Author of The Supermom Myth & Generous Love
    👩🏼‍💻Blogger of Christian Encouragement
    🎙Speaker for Real Women & Moms
    ⬇️Click for FREE Resources for Moms

    Instagram post 2107609199356937547_2005360423 Do you ever feel overwhelmed in parenting, marriage, work, or life in general?
.
Do you wish you could understand how God and the Bible apply to your life... but you struggle to figure it out?
.
How are we supposed to do all the things, be all the things, and manage ALL THE THINGS without getting crabby, fed up, or burned out?
.
Great questions. Maybe what you need right now is a wise friend... a mentor and coach who can help you sort it all out, point you to God's Word and help you discover what it looks like to apply His truths to your daily choices and responsibilities. Someone who won't criticize or judge you but instead stand beside you, validate your struggles, and then inspire and equip you to move through them with practical and biblically sound tips, accountability, and lots of prayer.
.
That's what I do.
.
This fall, I have two openings for one-on-one coaching and mentoring. This is an opportunity to work intimately together, growing closer to Jesus through Scripture resources and Christ-centered conversations so that you can get a handle on the things that trip you up. If you're ready to invest in a relationship that will point you to God and hold you there—with plenty of room for laughter, tears, doubts and questions—then I'd love to work with you one-on-one this fall.
.
Only two spots are available. All the details are on my website at beckykopitzke.com/one-on-one-coaching-and-mentoring. I invite you to apply for one of these limited coaching/mentoring client spots. I can't wait to get to know you one-on-one!
    Instagram post 2099708763774036642_2005360423 Spending sweet time with my baby girl... who is now long gone from her baby days. Summer, we love you. Fourth grade can wait. We have popsicles to slurp.
    Instagram post 2093151453752673218_2005360423 Raising older kids has its blessings. Seeing my daughters invest in younger ones is an encouragement of eternal proportions. They will carry on the call of raising disciples.
    Instagram post 2075971312425452366_2005360423 Who says you can't be holy and fun at the same time?
    Instagram post 2075968304522458287_2005360423 “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.” - Psalm 127:3-5
    Instagram post 2075400643619001062_2005360423 Exhausted? Cranky? Emotionally spent? Of course you are, you’re a mom.
Raise your hand if this sounds familiar, and know that I’m raising my hand right along with you, sister, because I’ve been there too. 🙋🏻
.
But as a women's author, Christian blogger, and (semi) seasoned-momma, I felt the need to actually DO something about it! So I've created a FREE Resource Library for moms just like you! In this space you’ll find a unique collection of free, easily downloadable resources designed to solve common parenting issues, add some fun back into the day-to-day routine, and provide some much-needed encouragement for a momma's heart.
.
So take a 2-minute "mom break" (or at the very least save the link for when the kids are asleep) and go check it out — I really think you'll love what you find. Simply click the link in my profile and choose "Free Mom Resources" to sign up! .
Psst! If you're still not sure if these resources will be helpful for you, here's a few examples of what you'll find in the Resource Library:
.
👉🏻 Stop Yelling! A Five-Day Guidebook for Moms
👉🏻 30 Creative Solutions to 7 Common Parenting Problems
👉🏻 20 Questions to Help Your Kids Get Along
👉🏻 Screen Time Tickets for Kids and Tweens
👉🏻 30 Ideas for Family Fun When You Don't Know What to Do
👉🏻 20 Household Worship Games for the Entire Family
👉🏻 How to Pray for Your Husband from Head to Toe
    Instagram post 2072310361256014584_2005360423 Local friends...raise your hand if you will be going to Lifest this summer! (hand raise emoji) I'll be speaking on "Living the Glorious Mom Life" on the Pit Stage on Saturday, July 13th. If you are there I'd love for you to stop by, listen, and say hello!
    Instagram post 2071634573409955710_2005360423 In my newest book, The Cranky Mom Fix, in the second chapter we talk about recognizing our triggers that taunt that cranky "Momster" to rear her ugly head. We discuss how to pinpoint the areas we need to turn our eyes and ears toward as we start to put this beast back her in place. One way to explore this is by reading 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 and replacing the word "love" with your name. For example — Becky is patient, Becky is kind. Becky does not envy, Becky does not boast, Becky is not proud, etc. Can you recite that with confidence? Or are there maybe some areas that trip you up and give you pause? Try this yourself and then leave me a ✔️ when you've done this for yourself!
    Instagram post 2070867301619765627_2005360423 Summer is my favorite season. Ever since my girls entered school, I’ve come to treasure these fleeting sunshine days—free from classroom routines, after-school commitments, homework and social drama.
.
Don’t get me wrong; we love our school, and I’m grateful for the hardworking teachers who pour their love and energy into my daughters day after day. School is a great blessing in our lives. And by the time June rolls around, our dear teachers deserve a break even more than we do. Summer is a beautiful thing—for everyone. But...
.
Something strange is happening now that my girls are growing older. This weird dichotomy of emotions bubbles up within me when I see my daughters stand on stage at the year-end ceremony and hug their teachers goodbye. On one hand, I’m relieved and elated and eager to have them home on summer rest.
.
Yet there’s this other hand that shows up now, and it slaps my heart in a tender space. Summer no longer means just popsicles and pool parties and wearing PJs ‘til noon. Now it also signifies change, growth, and time closing in.
.
I blinked and suddenly there’s a seventh grader living in my house. Seventh grade. That’s only six years from high school graduation. Six years from your job is done here, mother woman. Peace out. How can that be?
.
To read the rest of this post, click the link in my profile and choose "Featured Blog Post"
    Instagram post 2069389800766766265_2005360423 Reviews are starting to roll in from my book launch team...a few days ago I shared with you what fellow moms have to say about The Cranky Mom Fix — the reviews just keep coming, so here are 5 MORE reasons why you should read The Cranky Mom Fix!
.
And if you’re looking for more information on The Cranky Mom Fix, visit the link in my profile!
.
7. You will begin to see and appreciate your children in new ways. “I have LOVED this book so far!! There are so many takeaways but one that I never expected to be so eye opening was the idea that my children are humans, too. They should be valued and respected just like I would value and respect any other human. This seems so basic, but I have realized that when I turn into a Momster, that basic truth goes completely out the window in my own brain. If I can keep that at the forefront, then I can begin to stop myself in my tracks and tame the Momster before she ever rears her ugly head.” —Rachel
.
8. You will get acquainted with your Bible and learn how to apply it to your daily life. “Becky has such a gift of being able to put Scripture to real life scenarios. She makes it all so relatable and easy to understand and actionable.” —Kari “The Scriptures have been such an amazing tool to get me refocused on God and calm me in those Momster moments.” —Kimberly “This book has amazing amounts of Scripture and biblical foundation. Becky has encouraged me to DO!!! Not just know Scripture, but live it out.” —Jillian
.
9. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll feel all the feels. “So I made it all the way through not even the first paragraph before tears of empathy and commiseration fell.” —Bethany “I literally laughed and cried through every page.” —Heather “I love reading a book that makes you literally laugh out loud!!” —Jennine
.
10. You will gain a friend, mentor, and sister in Christ—me. “Because Becky makes motherhood so relatable, I’m 100% more likely to learn and apply her solutions in the book. I love it!” –Jennine “Becky has a wonderful way of making cranky moms feel validated in their situations but challenges us to think and react differently. Take the challenge!” —Debra
    Instagram post 2069202990384179140_2005360423 "Discipline is a necessary part of parenting. How we deliver it makes all the difference." - Becky Kopitzke, The Cranky Mom Fix
.
Learn more about The Cranky Mom Fix ➡️ crankymomfix.com
    Instagram post 2068762780588462009_2005360423 These girls. They've taught me so much about how to love and be loved. ❤️❤️❤️
.
So grateful to my husband as well for his unwavering support of my writing ministry. It's not always easy having a wife/mom who's writing a book amongst all the other tasks of daily life, and this crew rocked it!
    Load More...

    Follow me on Pinterest

    Visit Becky Kopitzke's profile on Pinterest.

    Hi there.

    Need some wisdom and encouragement?
    Check out my free resource library.

    Yes, Please!
    • Home
    • About
    • Books
    • Speaking
    Copyright ©2019, Becky Kopitzke. All Rights Reserved. Custom design by Pixel Me Designs