A thought by Gary Chapman from his book, Seen. Known. Loved. (p. 21). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)
That's good news!
Gary says, "God wants you to know that He sees you at your best and your worst and He chooses to love you regardless. So often, feeling loved is about being seen. For words of affirmation people, we try desperately to make ourselves seen so that we can get the reward of being told we are seen and liked. We dread feeling invisible and work hard to receive the words of affirmation that help us feel confident that we are seen and loved. This is what is so incredible, for better and worse, about social media. We can make ourselves seen in a way that was never possible before. We make ourselves seen . . . by posting pictures of our lives, snapshots that tell the world we are here. However, have you ever posted something only to have almost nobody 'like' your post? What’s even worse, perhaps, is that the only 'like' you get on a post comes from your mom or grandmother. At the root of our strong desire to be seen is the yearning to feel loved."
He goes on, "Now, you may be living a happy life, maybe even a life of love. You may be living a life where you are yearning for more. . .Whatever your story, each of us was made for a deeper love, a love that can only be experienced in a 'friendship that has caught fire,' where we are known, we are seen, and we are accepted with all our imperfections and weaknesses. This kind of love can only be experienced in a relationship with God."
He continues, "'I love you'—three words that change everything. When these words are experienced through a relationship with God, they don’t just change our mood or our day—they change us from the inside out! God wants you to experience His love, to feel loved. He wants you to base your sense of worth and belonging on it, not through wishing and waiting for temporary external affirmations from others, but through His words. His words don’t change, they don’t fail; they are always relevant and applicable to our lives. God’s love is an invitation to us to find our deepest sense of identity and worth in the context of a relationship with Him."
He then says, "God’s love is an invitation to us to find our deepest sense of identity and worth in the context of a relationship with Him."
And this Christmas Season is a great time to experience this love, isn't it?
Yes, yes!
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