I had a surprising revelation today. I asked myself, "Who are at least three people I could call or text right now and express my love to? People I could say, 'Hi, I'm calling to tell you that I love you, no matter what—whether you've done right or wrong by me, I love you for who you are.'"
Then I wondered how I would react if someone said the same to me. Would my response depend on the person or the nature of our relationship? Why does an immediate feeling of awkwardness arise? Do I truly lack at least three people I could reach out to and express my love without it feeling strange? Why is saying "I love you" considered taboo in America unless it's romantic, sexual, and directed at a spouse? And if someone said those words to me, why would skepticism even enter my mind? Would I doubt the person or the words themselves? Have I ever even heard those words, with pure intent and motives, from a friend, my parents or family, my spouse?
I sat with those thoughts for a while, noticing an initial sadness in my body. But then, as I reflected more, I remembered. I remembered that I have been told those words—by friends, by family, by my spouse. As I meditated on this further, a deeper realization dawned on me: these words were spoken to me long before I was born, before I even existed in my mother’s womb. These words were in fact declared in the universe, as stated in Genesis, when God said, "Let there be light."
It became clear to me in that moment that Christ is truly both Love and Light. My understanding was always meant to be illuminated by this Love and Light of Christ. I was created to comprehend the depth of God’s love for me in Christ, to know that I am unequivocally loved. To see and feel this love in the various ways it is expressed to me – through people, nature, and ultimately by beholding the Son. This love was established in eternity and manifested in the physical world through Jesus' body, which I am united with—one flesh, one bone, one spirit. This realization brought into my awareness that my body, like Christ's, will one day rise into an immortal life filled with light and love.
Jesus believed in the Father’s love for Him and understood that, in our humanity, we cannot love on our own, even if we deeply desire to. However, when we surrender that desire to God, it can naturally produce an “I love you” that resonates from our hearts and flows through our words to our spouse, family, friends—even strangers. We can receive this love when we feel empowered by God’s spirit. Still, why is it so difficult to grasp this truth at times? Do we forget it? Or do I, at times, struggle to truly believe it?
In life, we are often overwhelmed and bombarded by voices telling us we are only worthy of love if we’ve earned it. This conditional love is sometimes reinforced unknowingly from friends, parents, family, spouses, and society. This belief is even ingrained in us from a young age and reinforced by the actions and inactions that shape our lives. But this voice does not emanate from the Father. The Father loves us independently of the notion that love must be earned.
How do I know? Scripture tells us clearly that neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God. And we see a clear demonstration of God’s love manifested in Jesus rising from the grave despite the death, darkness, and physical deformation he experienced.
Even if I don’t always fully understand how that translates to feeling loved, it’s enough to make me stop and consider.
“As we grow in the knowledge of who we are and who God is, we leave behind the limited understanding we had as children and step into the life we were always designed to live—filled with the love of God that has been ours all along.” (Paraphrased from Paul the Apostle)
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