“We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground.” ~ Brennan Manning

1 John 4:16 - So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

We cannot enter the month of February without seeing all the hearts, flowers, and pink fluffy things covering all the stores. It’s like a pink storm that overtakes every business and store. These colors, decorations, yummy treats, and precious gifts are all a reflection of the love that abounds around us. Within our families, friendships, and lives, we can find love (and hopefully find it in abundance!). Which is why Valentine’s Day, and all that comes with it, is so popular. We love LOVE! We want to feel love in our life, not even just romantic love. But also, friendship, loyalty, generosity, community, affection, adoration, and all the various aspects of love. So, for this month, I wanted to ponder, dwell and share about love!

For this first blog, it occurred to me that as people of faith we can’t talk about love without first talking about God. 

We love because he first loved us. - 1 John 4:19

As humans, we are fallible and imperfect. There is no way that we could have enough goodness in us to be worthy of God’s love, yet He shares it with us with no contingencies or requirements. Through His unending, constant love, we can also find the strength and generosity needed to be loving to those around us. So, let’s ponder God’s love, look at how it can impact our lives, and find resources that will help us to remember and experience His love. 

GOD’S LOVE

“But the kind of love that God created and demonstrated is a costly one because it involves sacrifice and presence. It's a love that operates more like a sign language than being spoken outright.” -  Bob Goff

I started working in ministry when I was 19 years old. I worked as an assistant for a director of youth ministry. And I loved it! I loved the challenge of interacting with all the various students and their families, creating designs, putting together retreats, mission trips or even Bible studies.  At the time, God’s love felt like something that needed to be explained, taught, or shared… but not something that actually impacted ME. That all changed on my second international mission trip. I went to Guatemala. At the time, I felt very unsure about my future, worried about what was next. I didn’t know what to do about school, career, or even the things that I dreamed of doing (working in ministry, writing books, making a difference for something!). And with all the stress, and passion of being 19… it felt like a rough time.

Yet on that mission trip, I actually began to feel and experience God’s love in a personal way. It went from just understanding, to deeply believing and trusting. I can’t quite explain it…. But the whole trip, it felt like God was listening. Everything was so beautiful and getting to bless and love others in a place that was so new. The leaders of the trip were so good at sharing God’s love and blessing with all of us. I felt so close to God! 

Now, none of us can have these “mountain top experiences” all the time. Instead, they are few and far between. Our normal, boring, mundane, everyday lives are where we exist most often. So, to help us draw closer to God in these moments, I think it’s important to give ourselves space to celebrate and experience God’s love! I love to add small moments of beauty and faith into my life on a regular basis. 

Here are a few ideas of things you can do to celebrate God’s love, add some of your own ideas to the list! And always keep an eye out for things that bring you joy. 

• Find a church service or worship celebration that you really enjoy! Whether you have a home church, or you are still looking, there are so many options these days for church services. You could even watch some on youtube! I love to watch choir and choral pieces on youtube, because they feel so celebratory.

• Write yourself a letter. But pretend it’s from God to you! Write out all the love that you feel, things that He thinks about you, or anything that occurs to you. You could look up your favorite verses to add as well.

• Go on a nice long walk in your favorite natural area. While you are there, don’t listen to a podcast or music. Instead, just enjoy the sounds around you. Maybe pray as you walk or take a journal so you can sit and write out your experience. 

• Buy yourself a new journal. Keep it as a prayer journal! On one side of the pages, write out your prayers. Then when you get an answer, write it on the other side. 

• Volunteer to help others. When we take action on helping others, we are sharing God’s love with others! You could look for opportunities at your church, or with a local organization. There are so many ways to volunteer!

• Create a special playlist of music that helps you feel encouraged and loved. Listen to it whenever you feel like you most need to draw closer to God!
  

RESOURCES

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”  - Augustine

When we are talking about God’s love, it can sometimes feel so difficult to experience in a real or tangible way. It can be poetic, lovely, but hard to feel or hold onto. This is just one of those things that come from being human! We may know in our heads, intellectually, that God loves us. Yet it can be almost impossible to feel that love or trust it. Especially when we have been hurt or let down by the humans in our lives. So, these resources on their list will not be a miraculous thing. They may or may not work for you. But I have chosen resources that have helped me. Ones that help me as I attempt to draw closer into God’s love, trusting and believing in it more and more. 

• Dwell: There is something so soothing about listening to Scripture. This app offers guided meditations, playlists of verses speaking to a specific topic, and more. A great way to allow yourself to focus on what God has to say. 

• Bible Project: This app and website feels like Veggie Tales for adults. Videos, podcasts and lessons breaking down large biblical concepts and giving them to us in a way that is easier to understand. 

• Made for This by Jennie Allen:* A great Bible study from Jennie Allen, focusing on how God has made and loved us. 

• Personal Reflections Bible: Use your own creativity and God’s word to express your feelings, thoughts, and explore how God is leading you. 

What things would you add to this list?

“Legalism says God will love us if we change. The gospel says God will change us because He loves us.” ~ Tullian Tchividjian

QUESTIONS AND REFLECTIONS 

One of my favorite things to do is to ponder, reflect and journal, it gives me time to think through all the various aspects of life. May you find time in your day or your week, to sit and reflect. You can use these questions as a starting place for your reflection, or just an addition to your normal journal rhythm.

1. When have you felt loved by God?

2. If you struggle to feel loved by God, what beliefs or fears come up when you think about it?

3. What steps or resources can you use to help you remember how much God loves you?

4. Journal about what God’s love feels like to you, or what you think it must look like. 

5. What’s one thing from this blog that I want to use or put into action? 

Zephaniah 3:17 - 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.

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