Jesus loves you.
No, really. He loves you.
He’s not just interested, or somewhat attracted to you. He’s obsessed with you like a jealous lover.
If that makes you feel a little bit uncomfortable, I think that’s okay. Sadly, our relationship with God is not evenly balanced. We say we love God, but it’s always in varying degrees, and never as much as He loves us. In my life, I’m really focused on God—when I’m in prayer. Outside of prayer, I occasionally think of Him. I wish I could say He was always on my mind. But that wouldn’t be honest. Many times I’m thinking of music, the latest super hero movie, or Doctor Who.
But Jesus is always thinking about me. He was thinking about me before there even was a me to think about. At the dawn of creation, He thought about me. On the cross, He thought about me. When He ascended into heaven, He thought about me. Even right now, as I’m writing this blog, He is thinking about me. He knows everything about me, even down to the hairs on my head.
I sometimes think He must be disappointed that I don’t think about Him as much as He thinks about me, and I feel embarrassed to admit that He loves me way more than I love Him. I remembered once I dated a girl who was crazy about me—but I didn’t feel at all the same. It was awkward. And then there was another girl who I was certain was my soul mate, the one I was made for. But she didn’t feel the same. Neither did her boyfriend.
In human relationships, if one person is more in love than the other, it can kill the relationship. Thankfully, our relationship with God is not purely a human relationship. Divinity encounters humanity. The Creator reaches out for His creation. The Lover comes to His beloved.
Jesus loves you not only in a human way, but also in a divine way. The human way of love is just a reflection of the unceasing, unquenchable, and unchanging love that God is.
When you pray today, take some quiet time to rest in that love. Don’t think about it, don’t analyze it. Just accept it. It’s what He wants us to do in every moment of our lives.
No, really. He loves you.
He’s not just interested, or somewhat attracted to you. He’s obsessed with you like a jealous lover.
If that makes you feel a little bit uncomfortable, I think that’s okay. Sadly, our relationship with God is not evenly balanced. We say we love God, but it’s always in varying degrees, and never as much as He loves us. In my life, I’m really focused on God—when I’m in prayer. Outside of prayer, I occasionally think of Him. I wish I could say He was always on my mind. But that wouldn’t be honest. Many times I’m thinking of music, the latest super hero movie, or Doctor Who.
But Jesus is always thinking about me. He was thinking about me before there even was a me to think about. At the dawn of creation, He thought about me. On the cross, He thought about me. When He ascended into heaven, He thought about me. Even right now, as I’m writing this blog, He is thinking about me. He knows everything about me, even down to the hairs on my head.
I sometimes think He must be disappointed that I don’t think about Him as much as He thinks about me, and I feel embarrassed to admit that He loves me way more than I love Him. I remembered once I dated a girl who was crazy about me—but I didn’t feel at all the same. It was awkward. And then there was another girl who I was certain was my soul mate, the one I was made for. But she didn’t feel the same. Neither did her boyfriend.
In human relationships, if one person is more in love than the other, it can kill the relationship. Thankfully, our relationship with God is not purely a human relationship. Divinity encounters humanity. The Creator reaches out for His creation. The Lover comes to His beloved.
Jesus loves you not only in a human way, but also in a divine way. The human way of love is just a reflection of the unceasing, unquenchable, and unchanging love that God is.
When you pray today, take some quiet time to rest in that love. Don’t think about it, don’t analyze it. Just accept it. It’s what He wants us to do in every moment of our lives.
-Bob Rice (A Different Kind of Love, July 18, 2011)