How many of us can quote—or have heard—this Bible verse before: John 3:16? Even if you are not a frequent churchgoer, a Christian, or don’t get down with the whole Jesus thing, most of us could probably say we have heard it before. If you haven’t, check it out below:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his ONE and ONLY Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Sound familiar? Now don’t check out here… because you are tired of being evangelized to, because you have had this verse memorized since 3rd grade VBS, or because you think you have this whole God’s love thing figured out… because you don’t! What… did he just say that? Yep! Trust me, I thought I had God’s love figured out until one day I discovered a deeper understanding of it. That is the beauty I hope we pull away from this: just when we think we understand God’s heart, He continues to reveal more of it to us!

There I was, sitting and watching my son come into the world! Beauty, as I laid my eyes on something created in my image. A sight that can melt the heart as you witness the handiwork of the Father. However, the same beauty of the Son also caused the Father’s heart to break. Beauty that brought joy, and beauty that would cause so much anguish and pain to the Father’s heart—not because of anything the Son did, but because of what had to be done to the Son.

Micah David was born on December 14th at 12:15 p.m.—a beautiful baby. However, inside this 7-pound bundle of beauty was a sickness called bilirubin, mostly known as jaundice in babies. This sickness could only be measured by a blood sample to determine the levels of his illness, so we headed off to the doctor one day after his entry into the world.

We arrived at our first pediatrician’s appointment with our one-day-old baby boy, hoping to receive positive news about his bilirubin levels. Holding this sweet bundle of sleepiness, we made our way to a room to wait for the doctor. When the doctor arrived, he inspected this newborn son of ours for about 15 minutes and then called for a blood sample. Shortly after the doctor left the room, the lab tech entered—a sweet, soft-spoken older woman. She explained that she needed to take blood from our son’s heel. My wife held our son as the tech pricked his tiny little heel with a needle. It was at that point I witnessed my son release all emotions before my eyes, crying in anguish as the tech squeezed his little heel to draw blood.

My heart broke, as there was nothing I could do for my son. I had to watch—no words could comfort his one-day-old psyche, no touch could take away the pain he was feeling. As I observed the hurt my son had to endure to have his blood drawn, I lost it. I began to weep uncontrollably. The only thing I could do to express the unspoken words of hurt I was witnessing in my son was cry. My poor wife not only had to care for our crying son but also comfort her husband’s brokenness as he watched his son in pain. You see, my first thought was: what can I do to help my son? What can I do to take away the pain? But there was nothing… the only way for us to know if our son was free of the sickness was through his blood.

My second thought, as I looked on at the hurt my newborn son was enduring, was: I can’t imagine what God felt when He gave His Son, who would one day be beaten, tortured, spit on, and crucified on a cross. How did the Father feel when He watched His Son be pricked with three nails—two in His palms and one in His feet? How did the Father feel when He saw His Son’s side speared?

I know comparing my son’s heel prick to the crucifixion of Christ seems a little far-fetched. However, if I could only imagine how much God’s heart was torn when He saw His Son’s body mutilated. You see, my point in reflecting is not to compare the anguish my son endured and Christ’s experience on the cross, nor to try to say that my experience in the doctor’s office compares to the pain God felt when He gave His Son. No—my point is: can you imagine the Father’s heart? How did it feel? Why would He give His only Son?

You see, earlier I shared the most commonly quoted Bible verse—John 3:16: “For God so loved the world…”

But keep reading. God gave His Son not to condemn the world, but to save it:

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” —John 3:17

Though it crushed the Father to give His Son, He knew what the return would be—LIFE for me and for you! It was the blood of the Son that provided answers to all of the unimaginable sins and hurt.

So wherever you are today—whether you have a great relationship with your earthly father or your relationship is broken—know that your Heavenly Father gave His Son for you: for your hurt, for your past, for your pain, for your anguish, for your broken relationships. The Father gave His Son’s blood to make things right for us today! Know that God loves you and sees you. And just like His heart broke when He gave His Son, it breaks every time He sees you struggle in pain and hurt. God’s love is here to save today—through His Son, Jesus. Know that your Heavenly Father is crazy in love with you—so much so that He would give His Son’s blood to heal the sickness of His creation. Next time you think you have figured out the heart of the Father… think again, because He will reveal a deeper love—just like He did to me at the pediatrician’s.