God knows the kind of love you need, and it starts with Him.
Dictionary.com defines love as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. It’s something we all seek. And not just love limited to our romantic lives, but also the intimacy that comes from relationships with our friends and family; we crave to be loved. Yet in our world, it has started to feel like acceptance and love are the same things. Social media says a certain amount of likes and friends means people love you oh so much. It is such a shallow kind of love, yet I still feel like I’m competing for that affection. I compare my life and my relationships to the things I see in movies and that of the people around me. I see how many comments a beautiful girl gets on her Instagram post. Look how many friends so-and-so has! Oh, and there’s the girl who’s been dating her picture-perfect boyfriend for 3 years; they seem so in love! I start wishing for the things I seem to lack. If only I had _______, I would be happy and feel loved.
So, what do I do? I ask the Lord to fix my relationships and send me some new ones. Meanwhile, I’m neglecting the most important relationship I have, the one between me and God. I ask Him for everything, and then I turn around and give him nothing. I hope, and I pray for the kind of love I think I need, all the while the Lord is screaming, “It starts with me! I sent my son to die for you knowing that you would live to sin again, knowing that you may never love me back!” What other kind of love is like that? “Beloved, I adore you! I have a love that will fulfill and satisfy you, and it is ready to be received. All you have to do is call out to me!” He calls us “beloved.” Do you know what that means? To be beloved is to feel the strongest form of devotion. To be beloved is to be cherished unconditionally. Do your relationships love without limitations? Do your Instagram likes make you feel sincerely appreciated? Do you feel like you have to change yourself to feel loved?
Well, guess what. God’s love doesn’t judge or scold. Has there ever been a time where God was sitting up in heaven freaking out and saying, “Ugh, she just ruined everything?” NO! God’s love says, “I know the dark little parts of your heart, and I still love you! You don’t have to compete; my love is for everyone. You don’t have to be pretty enough or smart enough or funny enough because who you are is enough for me.” You don’t have to be the center of attention- God sees you! He has a faithful love to give you. Bring Him your sorrows, your trouble, and your pain. He will give you abounding grace.
“God doesn’t compare what he creates.”
-Bob Goff
Need a reminder of how much He loves you? There’s a whole book of proof; a whole love letter written to YOU! “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) “But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) “Lord, there is no one like you, in heaven or on earth, always showing steadfast love to those who walk before you.” (2 Chronicles 6:14)
You will stumble and you will continuously fall. You’ll forget His love time and time again- I do! But you know what? It never fades away. His love is here to stay! When you’re ready, it’s there for you. So be loved, then take it a step further and share that love.
We all seek it, so spread it.