You Are Loved

You are loved.  Simple.  Profound.  Mysterious.  Deep truths are like that.

You are loved.  A truth so simple, it’s hard to believe; so profound, it’s easy to overlook; so mysterious, it’s tempting to dismiss.

You are loved.  Stop for a moment.  Let this eternal truth sink in.  Breathe it in, let it invade every cell in your being.  It might be the most important thing you do.  Ever.    

You are Loved.  At our core we know we need it, and at our core we know we don’t deserve it.  So we resist being loved.  We are so wounded we deny we need love.  We are so control-focused we don’t want the vulnerability of receiving love.  We are so drenched in our weak­nesses that we feel unworthy of love.  We are so fear-driven we insulate our hearts from love.

Of all the powers known to man: money, political power, physical prowess, mental acuity, and sexuality, only love has the power to transform you.  But there seems to be a growing shortage of love these days . . . . so much judgement, so much conflict, so much uncertainty, so much focus on our own shortcomings and failures.  It’s hard not to take the negativity personally; hard not to let increasing isolation weaken the core of your heart.

We all seek the love we know we are incomplete without.  Maybe there are many who love you, or maybe you think that no one does.  Either way, I happen to know the truth. 

I happen to know that there is Someone who loves you—the Whole you.  There is Someone who loves you when you’re weak or tempted or empty or rebellious; Someone who loves you for who you are, not what you can do for them; Someone who loves you when all other loves have faded away; Someone who loves you at all times and in all circumstances; Someone who crafted your heart for the fullness of love that only He can bring. 

That Someone is Jesus.

Let the unconditional love of Jesus heal your heart and fuel your courage.  Let the truth that you are loved eternally and completely by the Living God soak into the deepest reaches of your body and soul.  You need to know that the intense and personal love of Jesus will sustain you through the toughest times. 

You are loved.  It doesn’t mean that you’re perfect or even near where Jesus wants you to be yet.  It means He has created you with purpose and He has great pleasure in the man you are and in the man you are becoming. 

Let His enduring and perfect love envelop you.  Let the love of Jesus give you the power to move from the pain of your past and present to the freedom of your future.

The LORD said ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness’  Jeremiah 31:3