Live loved.

Nothing breaks my heart more than hearing a teenager say, “ No one cares about me.” And even if that teen has the biggest support system in the world, if he does not feel loved, then that perception becomes his reality. We see it all the time- teenage pregnancy, drugs, and gangs are all the result of “looking for love in all of the wrong places.” It is an innate desire to want to feel loved, and when a teen doesn’t get it, they look for it elsewhere. His actions reflect how we feel.

But what about the rest of us? Maybe our actions aren’t as drastic, but what do we do when we don’t feel loved?

 

I attended a concert this weekend and among all of the things that were said and sung, two words impacted me tremendously.

Live loved.

How different would our lives be if we fully understood God’s love for us?

Think about it. When we don’t think God loves us enough to do what is best for us, we get impatient and don’t want for His answer to our prayers. When we forget that God loves us so much that He created us, we begin to criticize our looks and scold the mirror. When we choose to ignore God’s love for us, we love our selves more and sin (sin=selfishness). When we take for granted that God loved us enough to forgive each of these sins, we refuse to forgive others for what they have done to us. When we ignore the truth that God’s love is so deep for us, we won’t even forgive ourselves and fall into a life of shame and regret. When we forgo the loving promise that God will never leave us, we live a life of fear. When we doubt that God’s love is enough, we search for approval and acceptance from others (which leads to many other bad decisions). The list goes on and on.

I have a friend who I know loves me no matter what. There is no judgment in our friendship at all. I know that no matter what I do or say, this friend loves me. And this is such a freeing thought. Because of this assurance, I act differently in this friendship than I do with anyone else. I do not do thinks to seek approval because it is already there.  I can be myself and live confidently in the security that there is love.

God’s love should do that same thing.

If we truly understood how much we are truly loved, we would act like we are loved. And out of that, we would love others. We would boldly live lives that reflected that love. Our mindset would be transformed. Our actions would be radically different. Live loved.

The amazing part about all of this is that we didn’t do anything to deserve this love. Romans 5:8 assures us of this unconditional love- But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And we can live a life of love because of His love (1 John 4:9).

When we begin to understand all of this, we begin to change. Let your life change today.

Live loved.