06
Oct '18
Limitless Love
06
Oct '18
Although a known fact in my life, up until recently I didn’t often just ponder God’s love. Did amnesia set in and maybe I forgot about it? Or did I possibly grow to doubt it because of life’s struggles? Hmmm… I’m not even sure I fully understand it yet, but I do know that God’s love for me is so vast that I could never even fathom it. That’s hard to comprehend on my best day, and even more hard on my worst. Why would God choose to love me? With all my faults – me?
Of course, growing up in a small Baptist Church in a little rural town that had about 20 members, we’d sing in Sunday school “Yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so.” So, yes, I always knew Jesus loved me, but did I ever really ponder it or think on it? Sadly, I don’t believe I did.
Although I became a Christian at 15 years old, I feel like most of my adult life I was still searching for love, guidance and acceptance from man – not God. Even up until recently I feel I’ve done this. I’ve found that looking for these things from man just falls flat every single time. Over and over. It’s a cycle. In the past months, God has been growing my heart for Him exponentially and He’s been speaking to me and teaching me how much He truly loves me. We are so precious to Him and He loves us so much that we could never even imagine. Our brains are so complex – but not complex enough to understand this vastness.
Just the understanding of knowing we could never comprehend it is something huge to think about.
My dear friend Amy told me a few months ago, “You’re a daughter of the King! That makes you a Princess!”. Although to some this might sound juvenile, that was quite the thought to consider in the context of life with God as our Father. I sometimes feel I’m at a disadvantage of understanding His love because I personally made the decision not to have children and therefore don’t have the mother/child bond. Although God loves us so much more than the bond of a parent and a child, I do feel that might have given me just a bit more of a “reference point” to start from – but God always meets me where I’m at and gives me insight when He’s teaching me.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” – 1 John 3:1a NIV
So, God is molding my thought processes during this season of my life to comprehend (as much as possible) His love for me. He’s teaching me that I can’t put my trust in man for love, care, guidance or acceptance (yes, flaws and all). Only God can do all of those things in my life. I’ve found that trusting in man just doesn’t work. It never has. I’m divorced from someone that I wasn’t evenly yoked (he wasn’t a Christian), and I’ve been in long-term relationships with non-Christian men, as well as Christian men, and it doesn’t matter, because it doesn’t work anytime I try to find this love and acceptance from man. In reality, I made that person a pseudo ‘god’ in my life and expected them to fill a place that was only meant for Jesus Christ to fill. There can only be one God in my life, and I understand that clearly now.
Just this year, God has taken me down some uncertain paths that I never dreamed. These paths have been hard, scary at times, even rock bottom at one point, but through it all, the one thing He never let me forget was His vastness of love for me. I’ve found when I cry out to Him, He holds me and comforts me like no one else could ever do. The peace that I find from His love is nothing short of amazing. Have I ever found that love from anyone else? The quick, honest answer is “no.” I know my family and my closest friends love me so much and so remarkably, but that’s just a single drop in the bucket compared to how much God loves me. I also know that when I do things that are outside of His will, those things hurt Him (which as a human, I fail daily and disappoint Him often!). I would never want to hurt the One that loves me with this magnitude – but I do (and yet, His love for me continues). Nothing I confess to Him could make Him love me any less.
“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” – Psalm 86:15 NIV
So, I hope you will take some time today to just ponder God’s love for you. Nothing you could ever do could remove you from God’s steadfast and unchanging love. I hope that you can begin to understand the vastness, massiveness, and limitless love that our God has for you. After all, our Father God demonstrated His greatest act of love when Jesus died on the cross for you and for me. (How much would I have to love someone to do that for them? To endure what Jesus did on that cross?!)
I believe in this enormous love He has for us is one of the very reasons He allows us to go through trials in life. I believe when He brings us out on the other side (which He does!), it shows us even more of His love. So, if I must continue to go through trials to more and more understand His limitless love for me, I say “bring it”!
The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
*Dena*
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Loved reading your blog today and yes we do have an amazing God . I want to encourage you to keep writing and searching the scriptures and the Word.
John1-1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Thanks Dorothy! I appreciate your encouragement and so glad you enjoyed reading today! – Dena
Dena….. I’m sure as you write you hurt and heal. I can appreciate your transparency. Thank you for sharing. Everyday is a new piece to the puzzle.