Loved
I have spent a lot of my life, not fully resting in the depths of God’s love for me. There has always been a part of my heart that has remained too hard to fully accept it. Blinded by the depths of the reality of my own depravity, I lost sight of the redemption that it is to be saved in terms of how that shapes my identity. Like an old damaged record scratched and skipping, I allowed myself to replay my failures, as if my brokenness was the word speaking loudest over my identity.
It’s been just recently that I’ve felt the Spirit of the Lord calling my heart to allow His full and perfect love to wash over me. I understood His love intellectually but I needed to get it down deep, to the depths of my soul: I am chosen, I am loved, I am safe, I am healed, I am made new, and although I’m not perfect, I am perfectly loved and deeply known by the God of the universe.
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing.”
Zeph 3:17
He loves me. He sees me. He rejoices over me with gladness. He quiets the anxieties of my heart by His love. He sings over me. That’s how loved I am. Perfectly loved. By a perfect savior. When we fully grasp His love, and deeply personalize it, everything changes. There is rest and joy and peace and contentment that comes from this place. The depth of His love reaches the depths of our souls, and we are made new by it.
A truth I am continuing to work through is this: what we believe about God, and our relationship to Him, is the most important thing about us. It will dictate the posture of our very souls. Oh sister, don’t let this “simple truth” of being loved by God, pass you by. When we personalize this truth, we not only find more peace and contentment for our souls, but we also treat others differently. This is why I think Tozer’s quote is so deep and true:
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
A.W. Tower
We must ask ourselves, what do we really believe about God, what do we believe about our standing with Him, and what do we believe about our identity. Furthermore, how do those answers line up with the Truth of scripture?
I am chosen, from the foundations of the world. (Ephesians 1:4)
The father gave me to Jesus. (John 6:37)
Jesus died for me and keeps me. (John 10:28)
Holy Spirit sanctifies and seals me. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
The holy triune God loves me perfectly.
Hallelujah
What I came to ultimately realize is that in my reluctance to accept His love for me and allowing it to inform my very identity, I was effectually cheapening His sacrifice for me. He died for ME. And because of His torture, death and resurrection, I have a new identity. I. Am. Loved. It’s who I am.
Let that be the song of your life, sister. You are loved. You are loved. You are loved. You can find true contentment and peace here.
He is your safe space.
He loves you perfectly.
You are His.
There truly is nothing else that I need. The insecurity and chaos that swirls around me telling me I’m not good enough or that I need praise and adoration from others in order to feel worthy… It all falls flat in comparison to the glory to be found in the love of Christ. I pray that truth washes over you and permeates your spirit. Let the truth His love for you be the loudest voice over your life.