Hamilton was the first professional show my sons saw. My teen, a big fan of theater, was impressed. The choreography, orchestra and vocalists were flawless. Were it not for the slightest bit of feedback on a mic for a few seconds, we could’ve been listening to the professional soundtrack and not a live production. It was incredible to experience.

My son’s theater company held their spring production a few weeks later. It was performed on a high school stage with a soundtrack played over speakers and costumes pieced together from closets and Amazon. It was also an excellent show — not Broadway, but solid community theater.

As I watched, I was struck by the undeniable fact that as much as I enjoyed Broadway the month before, I was enjoying my son’s production infinitely more. He had learned so many parts, had volunteered to assist younger students and was performing his absolute best. He was a joy to watch.

Naturally, I wasn’t surprised that I was delighted by my kiddo’s production. What was surprising was the thought, “Wow, this is even better than Broadway!” Any critic observing both performances would disagree with my assessment, but even weeks later, I stand by this. I liked his show more.

Parenting always provides insight into just what “unconditional” love means. Of course, I’m not a robot — I’m annoyed by socks left on the ground and the empty container of milk put back in the fridge. However, no matter how frustrated I may feel with a kiddo’s behavior, my love is unconditional.

The unconditional love of God is one of the first concepts we’re taught. But I have often observed in myself and others that we can be better at listing our faults. In counseling, it’s called a “negative filter,” where we only see the ways we think we are failing. For example, instead of noticing that we managed to attend daily Mass once between Sundays, we think about how we should have attended every day. Instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment that we got all the kids to reconciliation during Advent and Lent this year, we feel like we failed because we didn’t make it for two months in between.

There’s nothing wrong with striving for our best, but we must be cognizant that God’s love for us isn’t based on what we do or how many items we check off a list. Rather, we are loved simply because of who we are. God delights in us and in all the efforts we make, just like parents delight in their childrens’ work no matter how the rest of the world might see it.

Parenting is full of moments that surprise us — rushing to help a sick child, Googling to figure out homework and the sacrifices made to afford orthodontics. These are our small insights into the tremendous depth that is God’s unconditional love for us — not based on anything we’ve done or earned, but simply for who we are.

Any parent can relate to the pride I felt in my son’s work and the joy I felt watching his efforts. Even more so, God’s love for us is unconditional and for who we are — our Father delights in us.