Everlasting Love

Read Together
Isaiah 54:4-10

Light three candles and say together
I will have compassion on you with everlasting love.
(from Isaiah 54:8 ) 

Reflection

We sometimes struggle to believe that God can really accept us as we are. We feel like we need to clean ourselves up first, have a track record of good choices and good deeds before really acknowledging that Jesus might be willing to love us. The head-knowledge that "God loves everyone" can conflict with our insecure identity that says "but I am not lovable."  Whether this lie arose from a history of pain or shame, grief or trauma, the lie only serves to isolate us further, building walls and keeping us from vulnerability, lest it confirm our deepest fears about ourselves.  

We all know what it feels like to endure insecurity and the wounding of rejection. These are common human experiences. Living on this Earth means we will struggle with these feelings and wrestle with the effect they have on our identities. 

Do you remember the story of the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve's choice that caused them shame, had them hiding from their dearest relationship — hiding from God? Adam and Eve began looking out for themselves at the expense of each other. Relationships broke and it affected their identity — how they related to one another and how they wanted to present themselves to the world. We are still living in the consequences of this sin, both in our day-to-day relationships and in the way it affects how we see ourselves. But there is a difference between that moment when Adam and Eve left the Garden and our lives now. The difference is Jesus; God born a human into this world, into our mess, to experience it with us and to meet us where we are — not perfect but imperfect. 

It can be hard to fathom just exactly what Jesus gave up and took on to come live on Earth as a human. There are a lot of great things about our lives on Earth, but it certainly isn't all great. And when your home is Heaven, a place where everything is perfect, the choice to come to a place in a human body full of human frailty would be a very difficult decision for a regular person. But Jesus isn't a regular person. So He chose to enter this world knowing that He would not only experience physical pain but also the emotional wounds of rejection. His choice was an act of love. It was a choice that mirrored and righted the choice in the Garden. He chose it out of love for you. And for the person who you come home to every evening. And for the person you sit next to on the bus. 

Today's passage of Scripture shows how tenderly God heals those wounds in our soul and how He clothes us with compassion. His love is not dependent on what you have done or didn't do, it is not dependent on what anyone else thinks of you, and it is not dependent on what you think your worth is. His love cannot be removed from you no matter how many things are shaken around you. You are chosen. You are loved.

Talk About

  • How easy is it to accept that God loves you? 
  • Do you feel like you need to change anything to be worthy of that love?

Pray Together
Lord my God, I will exalt you and life you on high, for you have lifted me on high! O Lord, my healing God, I cried out for a miracle and you healed me! Your loving favour lasts a lifetime! You have wrapped me in the glory-garments of gladness. I can never thank you enough.
Amen. 
(from Psalm 30, TPT)

Put it in Action
Smile at everyone you see today. Whether they smile back or not, choose to see each person as a valuable beloved person.

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