all the 20's in the whole wide world

My nephew Isaac turns 5 today. When he was 3-years-old, I was babysitting him, and I decided to play a game with him.

"Isaac, how much does Aunt Sarah love you?" I asked him.  Then I prompted him, "Does Aunt Sarah love you to the moon and back?"

He shook his head.  I was surprised.  Who doesn't love the image of loving someone to the moon and back?

"Well, then, how much do I love you?" I asked him.

"You love me all the 20's," he said.  "You love me all the 20's in the whole wide world."

I found out later that 20 was as high as he could count.  I loved him the highest number he knew.

I saw him over Thanksgiving this year, and I asked him the same question.  "Isaac, how much does Aunt Sarah love you?"

"You love me all the 100's," he said confidently.  "All the 100's in the whole wide world."

Because he can count to 100 now.

It makes me think that when I ask Divine Love, "How much do you love me?"  my answer is limited to the highest level, the highest form, the highest number I know.

And maybe, instead of limiting God to how much I know right now, I can let Love expand my understanding and experience.  I can let Love blow my mind.

That's what Advent is all about, right?  A Love that traveled through time and space to get to us.  A Love that generously gave itself in a deeper way than we could ever imagine or expect.  A Love that blows our minds.

A Love that loves us infinitely more than all the 20's in the whole wide world.