He loves me. He loves me not. Living Less Loved...

I have been reading a book lately called He Loves Me by Wayne Jacobsen. My sister, Amy, sent it to me (and to all my siblings and our spouses) and she felt very strongly that she should. Usually when she recommends a book, I can trust her judgement that it is worth my time but when she sends your spouse the same book also, I knew it had to have some special value. It is one of those you want to mark in and make your own side notes.


Here are a few thoughts from it that might spur you blog readers to want to read it too:

Many of us continue to play a game with God in our thoughts like this:

Something in the Bible inspired me today. He loves me.
My child is seriously ill. He loves me not!
I gave money to someone in need today. He loves me.
I let my anger get the best of me. He loves me not!
A friend called me unexpectedly to encourage me. He loves me.
My car needs a new transmission. He loves me not!

The author refers to these games with God as walking a perilous tightrope of feeling loved by God or better yet, living less loved like the older brother did in the Prodigal Son story. Most of all our lives are spent living less loved. When we give in to anxiety in the crush of our circumstances, we live less loved. When we try to earn God's favor by our own efforts, we live less loved. Even when we get caught up in religious obligations to make ourselves acceptable to Him, we live less loved.

Everything about our lives hinges on the answer to one simple question: Do you know how loved you really are?

So after keeping the girls this past week, I had a vivid glimpse of what the book is saying. When one of them disobeyed me and kept right on doing what I told them not to, did I love them any less? Absolutely not. And I could not love them anymore than I already do. Did I have to tell them "no no" or discipline them in ways they did not prefer? Yes, but I absolutely could not love them anymore than I already do. I continue to think they are adorable no matter what they do or don't do. I love them so much. This hit me that God feels so much more love for me than I can possibly understand because He is God and He is unconditional.

Here is what I am discovering by reading through this book and searching God myself. That He wants me to know that there is nothing I can do to make Him love me any more today and nothing I can do to make Him love me any less. He just loves me.

I hope and pray you ask Him to teach you too so that you also will live in this freedom I am discovering.