We crave for love so much so that we sometimes look for it even in the worst of people, people who only hurt us and fail us constantly. Somewhere at the back of our minds, a voice tells us we can find that love in God. God is the One who He has loved us ever since; He is the One who has loved us most. But we doubt this voice. We feel it isn’t real, nor is the love of God which we cannot see. How can we know He loves us when we cannot even see Him?
Below are some of the things that made me realize how much I am loved, and how real God’s love really is:
1. He created me with awareness and the ability to love and to be loved
I am not a stone that doesn’t know anything that happens around it. Neither am I a shell that gets tossed about, unaware of the shore where it lands, unconscious of all the beauty surrounding it.
I am aware and alive. I hear the sound of the waves crashing upon the shore and it soothes my soul. I see the sunset and I marvel at God’s fingers painting that beautiful scenery every day. I smell the flowers and I feel at peace. I walk upon the sand and its warmth comforts me.
When I hold a baby upon my arms, I feel an ability to love and to give. I feel that I can make other people happy, and their happiness makes me glad in return.
2. He witnesses my life — my life isn’t meaningless
We look for partners in life not only so that someone might love us and take care of us. We look for them because we want them to witness the life we’re living.
How important is it to have a witness to one’s life? For many, it’s the very difference between a life well lived and a meaningless one.
We all want somebody to see how far we’ve already reached, how far we’ve already grown. It’s not enough for us to achieve something. We want our achievements to be remembered, to be seen, to be the cause of inspiration for another person’s life.
With God, I know that Someone’s always watching. Even if men do not understand, even if they don’t see the good that I do, Someone always does.
3. He gives me respect and allows me to be myself
God respects me and allows me to be me. He loves me enough to allow me even to make mistakes. He knows that I could learn from them and that even the hurts I would experience in life would make me a better person.
Sometimes we think that if we really love a person, we should always interfere in what they do so that they won’t make any mistakes. But by not letting them decide on their own and own the consequences of their actions, we are also not allowing them to grow. We’re also not expressing our belief in them — that they can rise up after they fall, that they can, later on, have the wisdom to choose what’s right.
4. He communicates with me, I know I’m not alone
To have someone to communicate with is to not be alone. It is to know that someone else understands what you’re saying and that someone can respond according to His own awareness and understanding.
It is not commanding an inanimate object to move according to your will. It’s being part of an intelligent and conscious exchange between two consciousness that is aware of each other.
Nobody falls in love with a puppet. A puppet merely says what you wanted him to say and moves where you wanted him to go. We want someone who has a mind of his own, someone who is just like us.
“God is an ocean, a fire, a living fountain…That is the essence of prayer:this contact with a living God, a God who reacts, not like a simple inanimate being but like a living person, with a thrill of joy, with the gift of Himself.” — Where The Spirit Breathes
5. He gives me something to look forward to — my life is far from boredom
The person who is in love is far away from boredom. To her, every moment is meaningful, every moment is something to look forward to.
She does not know what her beloved would do next. Will he invite her out to dinner? Will he give her a bouquet of flowers? Will they watch a movie together?
It’s the same with God. We know God loves us because He forms a relationship with us. In that relationship, He gives the gift of Himself. He surprises us with gifts of love we could never even dream of!
6. He enlightens my mind and gives me wisdom
Life is a continuous discovery of the mysterious. And when we have a relationship with God, He allows us to discover a part of Him. He reveals Himself and gives us spiritual wisdom we could never learn elsewhere.
This wisdom enlightens our mind and satisfies our thirst for spiritual food. We continuously learn new things that benefit us and other people. We are delighted with what we learn and such things can never be stolen away from us.
7. He heals my wounds and helps me love myself more
Only God knows me. Only He can understand my innermost wounds and fears. With His guidance, I am healed, and I can love myself more.
Other people have their own wounds that may cause them to avoid me when I hurt. They have desires which I cannot satisfy, expectations that I may fail to meet. With God, I am loved even if I fail, even if I can’t always be strong enough or beautiful enough. In truth, it is His love that makes me beautiful in time.
8. He receives with gladness everything I offer Him
Other people may not need what I can offer them. Others may be too proud to accept help from someone like me. But God, even in all His greatness and glory receives with gladness every little offering that comes from me.
He knows what I can do. He knows the love with which I’ve made the gift I’m offering Him. And He receives the same with love and gladness. He honors me by receiving and appreciating all that I do for Him.
9. He directs my path and leads me back whenever I go astray
If I were the only one who’s trying to maintain my relationship with God, I’d be in great trouble. I know my limits and imperfections. I know how often I change my mind and lose heart.
But God is so good. He cares for His sheep, and He will not allow any to be lost or stolen. Whenever I start to lose my way, He is there to remind me of His love. He pursues me. He lets me know how much I matter. He leaves the 99 sheep behind just so He can find me and take me gently upon His arms.
10. He saved me and gave me eternal life
Is there a greater act of love than to lay down one’s life for His beloved? There is no greater love, and this is just what God has done.
He could have just offered me the world and I would have been overwhelmed. He could have given me the entire galaxy or a constellation of stars, but He did not stop there. I receive a joy of the most precious kind, one that lasts unto eternity, one that comes from the offering Jesus made upon the cross — the offering of His own Self!
Indeed, nothing can separate us from the love of God. His love for us does not only manifest with the material things He provides for us. His love does not stop with the relationships we have with the people He has given us. His love is greater. His love surpasses all our needs and expectations.
“For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39, WEB-BE
