Your perception of it may get clouded or obscure it, but it’s still there. Even if your mother or father were to stop loving you, God wouldn’t be able to cut off His love for you. God is love itself. Any love you feel towards others is from God. Any love others feel towards you is from God.
I know all too well what a struggle it is when you’re painfully aware of every teeny tiny misstep you make to believe that the One who sees it all could still love you, but He does.
Think about someone you can’t help but love. That person has and will make mistakes. He/she will be weak sometimes, disappoint you, turn away from you, yet you still love him/her. I’ve found that it’s almost easier for me to love someone whose hurt, weakness, or brokenness I have seen.
Jesus and Mary feel the same way. They are closest to those who are broken, sick, hungry, outcast, poor…excruciatingly aware of all they lack. Only those who are acutely aware of their weaknesses and sins know what an amazing miracle it is that anyone can love them, and love them as deeply as God does. Too often when life seems to be going well inside and out, we aren’t as acutely aware of our need for love or the need other’s have for love and acceptance.
One revelation that has helped me want even more to accept God’s love for me is knowing that’s the first step I need to take in order to love others more unconditionally. If I can’t and don’t even try to accept God loves even the aspects of me that are in need of healing, strengthening, then I’m not as likely to be able to love the brokenness in others. If I am hyper-critical of myself, then I’m likely very judgmental of others whether I express those judgments or not. My biggest struggle is often to allow myself to be loved by God and others, to believe in that love, especially when I feel like I don’t deserve it, could never be or do enough to warrant it.
Lord, please help us be more receptive to Your unconditional love, which we desperately crave, though we don’t deserve and can’t earn it. Reveal to us the depth of Your mercy and forgiveness, so the vastness of Your love can really sink into every aspect of our being and flow to others. Amen.
