How Much do you Love Me?

One of the games M and I have played with our kids since they were little is the "how much do you love me game?" Whenever one of the kids would say, "Mommy (or Daddy), I love you," we would ask, "Do you love me a little bit or a lot?" If they respond with, "A little bit," they get tickled until they say, "A lot. A lot!" The kids love this game. We love this game.
Yesterday was the first day of the 40-Day Challenge through Overcome the Lie. The first of the daily challenges was to ask God this question, "How much do you love me?" God gave me this song as His answer, You Love Me Anyway, by Sidewalk Prophets:

The message of this song is that, despite our sin, God loves us. The line in the chorus that I couldn't stop singing all day, is this, "I am Judas' kiss. But, you love me anyway." 
Judas betrayed Jesus. He was one of Jesus' best friends, his disciple. He was treasured and trusted by Jesus. Yet, his kiss led to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. The scripture says this,

Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

- Luke 22:3-6 (NLT)

The devil entered him. That's what evil does. It seeks to ruin something that is good. 
With this in mind, I cannot help but think of Monday's events at the Boston Marathon, and how evil worked it's way into to kill, steal and destroy what should have been a joyful experience. 
I let my eight-year old watch a bit of the news coverage on the bombing, careful not to exposure her to too much. She asked me what happened. I told her that there was a race, and at that race someone had put a bomb. She asked, why. I simply told her that there are people in this world who want to hurt others. She was shocked that this could be true. Honestly, I am too.
But, while this is appalling and devastating, I really shouldn't be surprised. After all, the enemy has been present from the beginning. And, his goal has always been to wreak havoc among the people of this world.
Yet, in the midst of evil, God was still there. Among the ugly, there was beautiful. There were spectators and first responders staying to help. Surgeons who worked to save lives and limbs for hours upon hours. 

God's love was there. 
How much does God love me? How much does He love you? 
A lot. 
So much so, that is doesn't matter what we do or have done. God's love doesn't change with the circumstances or our behaviors. 
It is constant. It never fails.