Love. A four letter word that we use when we want to convey a strong emotion we feel about something. I love music. I love my family. I love my dog. Loving those things is all good and well, but what does love look like?
I'm gonna get a little cheesy hear and quote a great philosopher named Olaf, who is actually a snowman. "Love is putting someone's needs ahead of your own." Rightly so, Olaf.
My family loves me. I'm not lacking love in that area of my life. But I am completely lacking in a love life. I've never had a boyfriend. I've never had a guy I liked, like me back. One of my friends once told me I've never faced rejection before when that just flat out isn't true, when I feel that I've made it obvious that I like someone and then find out that they like someone else. It's even worse when the other person that they like is smarter than me, or more athletic than me, or prettier than me. I'm not really lacking in confidence, but nothing shakes this girl's confidence more than when it feels like she's not enough for someone.
This is not a new story for me. It's something that's even occurred in my friendships. When I would invite a friend over, but they chose to hang out with another friend instead. When my friends all still hung out with each other after I had moved and was forced to try to infiltrate a friend group with people who had known each other since they were five. I always felt like the odd man out. I always felt like an extra piece of the puzzle thrown into a box that really wasn't necessary.
A lot of times I have wondered if anyone besides my parents and my brother will ever love me. Will I ever have a boyfriend? Will I ever have friends that completely stick by me when my world starts getting rearranged for the five hundredth time? I don't know.
What I do know is that in my moments when I feel most alone, it is then that I'm reminded I am never alone. God in Heaven loves me so much that He made the entire universe and He still wants a relationship with me. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever would believe in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life." (John 3:16) My dad always said to take John 3:16 and in the place of "world" and "whosoever" put your name. Try it. See how personal the Gospel is? That God loves each and everyone of us that He sent His only Son to die for us. God sees the things that make us undesirable to the world, He sees our mistakes and our failures, and still with open arms He screams through the universe that He created, "I LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!"
God loves me. God loves you. Even in my moments when I feel completely alone He is always there saying, "I have made you, I have redeemed you, and you are more precious than gold to me. Now tell everyone else how loved they are."
You are loved by the creator of the universe who made you and who knows you. Please believe it. Please accept His love and His grace that He extends to you. He wants to fix your brokenness and forgive your sins. He wants you to be loved by Him and to love Him.
So why did I quote Olaf? Well, because we are all in need of a Savior. We are all broken people who need forgiveness of our sins. We need redemption. Our sins can't be forgiven on our own. God saw our need for a Savior and He sent His only Son to take on the punishment for our sins so that we wouldn't have to face an eternity separated from Him. He sent His Son because He. Loves. You.