Firsts can be amazing...your first new bike as a kid, your first day driving with your new license, your first kiss. Yes, firsts are wonderful. They are the beginning of something; something new and exciting. Remember the butterflies you had in your stomach when you went on your first date? Firsts: exciting, thrilling, breath-taking, nerve racking. I believe God intended for us to have all those feelings before we begin something. He wants us to be thrilled, excited, nervous, overwhelmed with the idea of possibilities. I believe He was filled with some of those same emotions on that first day...you know, THE very first day, ever. "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. God saw that the light was good..." Sure, He already knew the beginning from the end and every possible thing in between, but it says that He saw that the light was good. Perfect. A perfect creation by a perfect God and still He chose to look upon it before deciding that it was good. Have you ever wondered why? I'm not claiming to have that knowledge but you have to wonder if, when He set the firsts in motion, if He could already feel the pain of our rejection...a first for Him.
You see, not all firsts are wonderful. Some are downright awful! I have a friend who remembers going to kindergarten and getting paddled for misbehaving on the very first day! You can imagine how excited he was to go back, right? What if your first love breaks your heart? That first isn't one you'd readily sign up to go through again. No, not all firsts are waited on with bated breath. For those who mourn over the death of a loved one, every first brings pain. The first Mother's Day without mom. The first Father's dad without your dad opening yet another tie. The first Christmas without. The first birthday, uncelebrated. Pain. Loneliness. Hurt. Tears.
Why would a loving God put us through all of that? Doesn't He understand how deeply it cuts us, all the way to our core?
Yes, He understands. He feels more than we can even imagine. He feels every joy and hurt, hears ever laugh and cry, sees every smile and tear. He knows how we feel because He feels it too. When we laugh, He laughs. When we cry, He cries. Every emotion we could ever possibly go through, He knows. He knows and shares with us. Hebrews 4:15 (NIV) promises us this: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin."
Firsts don't scare God. They don't surprise Him either. He has no fear of the unknown for there is no unknown for Him. He knows. He cares. He loves. He mourns with us during every bad and rejoices with us during every good. Whether it's a first tear at the birth of a child or the first tear at the death of a loved one, He knows.
