As a new day dawns, I find myself tired today. So I decided to prolong my normal routine of arising and heading to the living room to enjoy a cup of tea. By the warmth of the fire and the twinkle of the Christmas lights, I find rest under the truth that God IS love!
Our world longs to know they are loved. Children cry out for the acknowledgment of love from their parents. Young people are in search of the one that awakens their hearts to know and be known. Spouses long for the rekindled awareness of the affections that drew them together, sometimes decades ago. Individuals of all ages hope for kindred friendships in which to share the ups and downs of life.
The very fabric of our souls has been broken by sin and the painful experiences that life brings. Neglect, abuse, harsh words spoken in moments of fear and anger, has left each one of us bruised. We take on the dysfunction of another, allowing it to define who we are. From the rejection we encounter in our moments of vulnerability we conclude that we are unlovable; that we have to be someone we are not, to find the acceptance and love our soul craves.
We begin to wonder if there really is such a thing called unconditional love, because the world around us that lives in offence and self-protection, seems to communicate otherwise. And so begins the quest to know love!
There is a simple, yet deeply profound truth that can free us from the daily ache and endeavour to find love. That truth is found in the revealed nature of who God is. The Bible tells us that God IS love. That is who He is. He cannot be anything otherwise. You are loved because GOD IS LOVE. That is His nature.
The question of whether or not you are lovable has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with Him. Your struggles, your sins, your hidden places of shame, do not change the nature of God. He is still love in the face of whatever brokenness you bring. You are not powerful enough to change His nature. God’s nature does not suddenly change when He encounters you. He is not love one minute, and then in your presence unravels in His nature because you are too broken, or too much. His love is vast and wide, and enough for you.
The quest to discover something within yourself that is worthy of love will not free you. In fact, it will only cause you to suffer the exhaustion that comes with a life of striving, trying to maintain that place within you that you think is lovable. He is inviting you to come into a newfound path of grace today where all striving to be someone you are not, can be left behind. It is a path that will lead you into the open spaces of life, where you can breathe, and discover the profound nurture of a loving Father.
Will you believe the truth of who Father God is today? The truth of who He determines the truth of who you are. Will you put more faith in the words of God, than in the words of the enemy, or the harmful words of others spoken over you?
You are the creation of a God who IS love. Find rest today under His divine nature of love that cannot change.
Know God and you will know love!