“I have trouble recognizing and absorbing God’s love for me,” my husband shared as we were eating leftovers together.

“Tell me more,” I said.

“Well, you know how the Bible tells us over and over about how much God loves us?  I don’t know.  I just have trouble applying that to myself.”

A good, honest assessment.

“Sweetie, think about how much you love your kids, and how they make you so proud, and you love to be with them, and how that video on Youtube about daughters growing up made you cry the other day?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, God sees you that way.  And He loves you even more than you love those kids.”

Pause…. He’s thinking…

I go on.

“And what if I responded mechanically and business-like to your love for me?  How would you like that?”

“I’d hate it.”

“Well, I don’t think we should be responding to God’s love like that either.”

Thinking some more….

“You need to let God love you and let it make you smile.  Really smile!  And respond to His love.”

 

I think things started to sink in for Mr. Logical.  And I so appreciate that he has always been a good listener.

He knows what love for others feels like.

He knows he doesn’t want to receive a mechanical or distant response from the people he loves.

And he also knows how good and encouraging it feels to be loved by people.

 

God put this love in our hearts.

 

We can’t see Him

but He loves us extravagantly

in so many ways

not the least of which was the ultimate sacrifice –

Life.

 

Soak in His love!

 

Notice Him loving you through people

notice Him loving you through nature

notice Him loving you through the Bible

notice Him loving you through “coincidences”

even notice Him loving you through difficulties

and discipline.

 

Notice Him

and love Him back.

 

There is nothing better in this life

than to know that God loves you and to love Him in return.

– Susie Stewart

 

 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;

and,

Love your neighbor as yourself.

– Luke 10:27 (NIV)

 

Love must be sincere..

– Romans 12:9 (NIV)

 

Photo taken by Nicole Stewart