It’s February. The month of Love ❤️.

Of course, I can’t let the month pass without addressing love at least once, right?

I struggle with love – loving myself, believing I am worthy of love, and consequently, loving others well. I even find myself often questioning God’s love, choosing instead to believe He is a judge. It’s something I have struggled with many years. My mind knows the truth, but my heart has difficulty believing it.

So today, as yet again I found myself in the struggle, I began to pray. It’s easier to let your mind runaway with a falsehood than fight against it, but that is something I am strongly trying to combat in my personal life. Instead I chose to pray and ask God to show me His love…I just needed reassurance, yet again.

And I was led to verse in John 3, but not John 3:16, the famous verse, “For God so loved the world…”

No, I was led to John 3:17 which says, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

For someone like me, who lives under personal condemnation often, and expects that same condemnation from others and God, this verse touched me deeply. Intellectually I know God loves me, but do I know, truly know, that I am not judged? Do I know I am not condemned?

For someone like me, and you would have to know my story to fully understand this, love and condemnation/judgement often go hand-in-hand in my mind. Yet God’s word says that as far as He is concerned, that is not the case.

Today, God met me where I was, wondering about His love for me, wondering if He was waiting to pounce, needing to know He was still there. And the great thing is, He will do it again for me in the future, because I know my struggles and He always meets me where I am. He will meet you, too, if you ask. If you seek Him, He will be found.

Does He love us? Yes, and without judgement if we are His child. That’s why He came. He came because He loved us and wanted to save us from ourselves despite the agony He would go through in the process. And, despite the fact that we deserve His judgement and condemnation. He came. He didn’t come to judge us, but to save us. And if that doesn’t speak of His love, I don’t know what can.