Americans spent almost 26 billion dollars on chocolates, flowers, and fancy dinners in order to celebrate love this Valentine’s Day. That’s a lot of love!
Love is one of the most amazing things we get to experience as humans, and also the most confusing. What happens in our hearts and minds to make us fall head over heels for another person? What makes people fall “out of love?” There have to be more songs written about love than any other topic. Why is it so fascinating? Maybe because on a human level, none of us will ever be able to understand it. Our hearts yearn for it, ache for it, live for it.
Yet we are so bad at it. Our love is ever-changing and based on crazy up-and-down emotions. Love can turn to anger, to annoyance, to dislike, and even to hatred. We often love others for the feeling it gives us or what they can do for us. Oh, sure, we will show love…but we better get something in return!
My husband says the song “Hard to Love” by Lee Brice should be his theme song. But I think it’s pretty good at describing all of us… especially when it comes to how we love God.
“I am insensitive, I have a tendency,
To pay more attention to the things that I need.
Sometimes I drink too much, sometimes I test your trust,
Sometimes I don’t know why you stay with me.
I’m hard to love, hard to love…”
If we’re honest, we’re better at loving ourselves than we are at loving others!
But how very different is the way that God loves us! God’s love gives without expecting anything in return. His love gives whether we deserve it or not. His love was set on His people before the beginning of time, and it will continue for all eternity. God’s love never leaves and it never changes. It is there for His believers in the middle of the darkest night, and remains steadfast even when we don’t feel it there.
His love is so great that He was willing to turn over His very own Son to be tortured and killed…for us. I can’t imagine being willing to do that.
And…God doesn’t just SHOW love. He IS love.
How can someone BE love??? Though I can’t wrap my brain around it, this thought fascinates me. The One who created the universe, who created me, is the embodiment of love. True, loyal, perfect, unchanging, eternal love.
And I know this love to be real, because through some of my very darkest and most desperate times, when my world was shattering into a million pieces, that love held me. Gently, tirelessly, and faithfully.
Take some time to reflect on what God’s Word says about his amazing love. I hope it fills you with as much awe and gratitude as it does me.
“How precious is your steadfast love, O God!” The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 36:7
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present or things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23:6
“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us, God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” 1 John 4:16
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
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