precious minutes with God

I learned a few things the other nite, rather, it seems, God revealed some applications in my life of a few scriptures that I feel sure I've read before, but had not realized how they applied to me personally.

the first was re: John 17:23, that God loves me as he hath loved Jesus. Can you really grasp that? that he loves us, who are imperfect, sinful, selfish, etc. as much as he loves his one and only perfect Son. For some reason I don't think I ever knew that and it just totally blows me away.

another was re:Ecces. 4:9-10, that "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:..." With this God seemed to relate this for me to my marriage and children (now adults). There has been two of us in this marriage - my husband and myself and our good return is our children who are also seeking to follow God. How much harder is it for a family with a single parent? Not that it doesn't work, but how hard it must be for those parents struggling with the responsibilities of all that is required. Whether it be holding down a job, getting them to school, bandageing cuts and scrapes, chauffering them around town, and the list goes on and on.
Thank God that he supplies all the needs of his children. But surely, the pressure I would think, gets immense.

and then there was Isaiah 41:9-10 re the fact that God has not rejected me. For the majority of my life, for whatever reason (personally I believe it was the enemy sowing seeds of doubt) I had trouble with rejection. A number of people in my life recognized it before I did - at one point i was in prayer with others and the person mentioned re my [trouble?] with rejection. I'm like what is he talking about. It would be years later before I myself could see my fear. And now God has told me that He has not rejected me, and even moreso, he will strengthen me and help me and uphold me! How loving and kind he is to care and then enable.

Although I don't spend nearly enough time in His word, I am thankful for even the brief times and that He brings life changing applications even in those.