Even Me

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I John 4:9-10

I love my children. There is nothing they can do that will cause me to love them more. Equally so, there is nothing they can do to erase my love for them. It is an indescribable love. God tells me that he loves me in his Word. He tells me that his love for me is so great that he gave his son. I read those words, I accept that most precious gift. But do I really understand the depth of that love? Do I live my life as I believe that he loves ...me? Do I live there? So much of the time...I do not.

I know my children. I can tell by the expression on their faces, their body language, or how they speak if they are sad, excited, happy or worried. The Psalmist speaks of how God knows us in Psalm 139:1-3: O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going and my lying down; you are familiar with my ways. God understands me better than anyone. Just as I know my children, so he knows me. He knows what causes me to fear, to rejoice, to dance, and to weep. As we read on in that same Psalm..."If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." In other words, there isn't a place where I can hide from God. There isn't any emotional wall I could build that he couldn't penetrate. There is no situation where he is incapable to work. There is no condition of my heart where he will remove himself.

I don't often "live there," understanding God's love for me because I view his love through a lens of human perspective and experience. My parents loved me, yet their love wasn't perfect. I felt I had wonderful parents, but they were human and humans make mistakes. My husband, for a long period of time disappointed me with his choices. Friends, though often supportive, have hurt my feelings. Even within the church, I didn't always feel loved. My view has been tainted. But God's love is pure. God's love casts out fear, doubt, shame, and pride. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him. I John 4:16b

God loves you. He created you; fashioned you with his own hands. He's had plans for you since before the foundations of the earth were laid. He has given you the most precious gift - his son as a ransom for your sins. His love for you is an everlasting love - it doesn't depend upon how you act, your talents, the size of your jeans, the color of your eyes, or the amount of money you have in your checking account. There isn't anything you can do that will cause him to love you more. His love is perfect. When you consider his perfect love. When you allow your heart to trust that he does indeed, know you and what is most love towards you. When you chose to surrender to his love, you are more likely than ever, to have your tainted lens washed clean...you are more like to "live there."