27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
John 10: 27-30 NIV
5min read
It was in the car on a Tuesday a few weeks back, that I was taking my daughter to school and the pure love of God surrounded me in a moment that caused me to want to weep. And as I am driving, I am holding back my tears so my daughter does not become concerned with the why. Why are you crying mummy? There have been moments on my journey when I have been taken back by the relentless, unfailing, unmovable, awesome love of God that pursues me, even when I feel I am not deserving of it. And it makes me love Him even more.
I believe we can describe His love like a mother with a new baby, her eyes are for her child. She adores and loves this precious baby that is cradled in her arms. And I believe this is like our God. He sees us this way each and every moment of the day, not the rebellion. He sent His Son to pour out His wrath onto so that when He sees us, we are covered in His righteousness. He does not see the sin, instead He loves us so much that He pours out His grace onto us because He knows how much we need Him. And my heart turns back to God during times of struggle, in times of heartache, and in the pain because what else can love me so deeply as our God? His pure love is not conditional, or transactional, it is present….. always, that it has made me begin to want to love others like I have experienced for myself.
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
Matthew 22: 37 NIV
When I look back at my daughter in her younger years, I am reminded of the times I struggled to love her. And there are times when I look at photos of her in the past and I am reminded of her tiny feet, her little curls and her chubby cheeks. And in those moments it was easy for me to let it pass by without admiring her as she is. I am reminded now that it passes so quickly. Did I cherish those moments with her when she was so young and precious? Or was I waiting for the next season because the struggle of raising her was difficult? I do not believe God is like this, He loves us so much in every season of our lives, even when we are being rebellious and rejecting Him, He is still relentlessly pursuing us desiring for us to find His love so we can then find His freedom.
There are times I am reminded that it is in His love where I have found the most freedom. Freedom to love myself, freedom to be myself, freedom to fear God over fearing man, freedom to love others regardless of how I feel. Because He loves me exactly as I am, He does not desire for me to be like anyone else, except who He created me to be. It is His perfect love that casts out all fear. And now when I look at my daughter, I admire her for her uniqueness and individuality. Her beauty, she is who God created her to be, one without comparison.
I use to believe that when I sinned God’s presence would leave me. But I cannot fully wrap my mind around understanding this. How does He find us in our shame, guilt, adulterous hearts and calls us to Him when we are relentlessly running from Him. It doesn’t make sense that a God who is love, would leave us when we are broken. There is no darkness that is too dark for the LORD. He is with us always, convicting us, drawing us back to Him, showing up in His love so we can understand our worth in Him. He loves us so much. What that can separate us from His love? And we are called to have faith in what He says about us, because that is where we find His freedom.
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Psalm 139: 12 NIV
When you have experienced this love, it empowers you to want to love what loves you back. My heart yearns to praise Him because I am knowing of His goodness, and the desire to sin is now displeasing to taste.
It is God’s love that empowers. So keep seeking His love. Because it is His love that causes change, it is His love that causes us to recognise our worth. It is through His love that His name can be glorified.
Nadia x
All for His Glory.