A Valentine’s message on how God loves us
What keeps you from loving others the way you, yourself, crave to be loved? And conversely, what’s lacking in your life (or more accurately, in your heart) that keeps you from fully loving others the way they need to be loved?
First John 4:19 (ESV) says, “We love because [God] first loved us.”
The marvelous and encouraging truth is that God Himself loves us. Please don’t skip past this. Pause and let it sink in for a moment: Almighty God loves… you and me.
God, the creator of all things, the God Who does everything with power and beauty – perfectly – loves us.
Your heavenly Father’s love for you is powerful. Beautiful. Perfect.
Do you remember when you first came to understand – and believe – that God loved you? That He saw you and that you mattered to Him? Remember what a glorious day that was? Do you recall how realizing God loved – imperfect, undeserving you – changed your life?
Perhaps your insecurities have kept you from fully experiencing this epiphany. If so, wouldn’t experiencing the reality of God’s love for you give you the confidence you need to face your day? To make better choices? To work at your relationships?
If we were to understand the kind of love God has for us, we’d never feel insecure again. It would change how we see ourselves and the way we see others.
This kind of love would transform our hearts so profoundly that we could love in a way we’ve never thought possible.
Isn’t this what we want?
Imagine how experiencing this kind of love would change our relationships. Picture being so full of God’s love that it would spill onto others. Experiencing God’s love could cause us to bless those around us (even on social media). It would transform how we speak to them – and how we pray for them.
Choosing to believe the truth about God’s love for us would even change the way we treat our spouse or our estranged family members or friends.
Seeing people through our heavenly Father’s loving eyes would change every relationship.
We’re talking about something huge here. How would it change our entire life if we went beyond only reading about how much God loves us and actually experienced His love every day?
Let’s find out!
This month is the month we celebrate love. Let’s believe (and celebrate) that God loves us – powerfully, beautifully and perfectly. Then let’s allow His love for us to spill over and impact the lives of those around us.
Sheryl H. Boldt, a Franklin County resident, is a faith columnist and the author of the blog www.TodayCanBeDifferent.net. You can reach her at SherylHBoldt@gmail.com.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.