Do you really believe God loves you unconditionally?
Ashley Dannelly
Has anyone ever told you that they loved you, but then something you said or did caused them to treat you as if they didn’t? Or even worse, has anyone ever stopped loving you altogether?
Most of us are familiar with the concept of unconditional love — a love that is constant and unfailing no matter what. While this type of love sounds beautiful, plenty of situations in our lives test our belief in unconditional love: a falling out with a parent or sibling, a difficult season with a spouse, or a hurtful conversation with a friend.
With so many examples of how hard it is to practice unconditional love, it’s no surprise many of us question the love God has for us.
Does God Truly Love Us No Matter What?
God demonstrated His love for us by sacrificing His Son to pay for our sins (John 3:16). If we have a relationship with Jesus, our destiny has already been changed by God’s love. Yet many of us still worry God will change His mind.
If we pursue perfection to make God love us, attempt to hide our sins so He won’t be angry, or keep our needs a secret from God because we don’t want to burden Him, we are doing so because we’re worried that God’s love will eventually run out. But the beautiful truth of God’s love, despite our fears, lies in Scripture.
Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God wants us to know how much He loves us and that His love is based on His mercy and grace rather than our actions (Ephesians 2:8-9, Ephesians 3:17-19). This means that, as followers of Jesus, we can never lose God’s love — no matter what!
We Are Called to More
We may always have opportunities to question God’s love for us, but He has called us to something greater. Instead of basing our relationships with God on our circumstances, God has told us to rely on our faith in Him as our heavenly Father and trust in His unfailing love for us.
So how about you? Do you ever question whether God loves you? Have you tried to live a certain way or do certain things to earn God’s love? Are you willing to commit today to trusting in God’s love for you despite your doubts and fears?
If you want to commit to trusting in God’s love rather than worrying, here are some practical steps you might consider:
- Seek God’s guidance. Pray today and ask God to reveal any areas in your life where you are choosing your fears over His love.
- Evaluate your commitments. Prayerfully consider whether you’re overcommitting to church-related events in order to earn God’s love.
- Examine your quiet time. Pay close attention to the time you devote to prayer and studying the Bible. Is your ultimate goal to grow closer to God or to check something off a list?
- Stop comparing yourself to others. If you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to other Christians, pray and ask for God’s help in overcoming the habit. You may also want to find a godly friend you can trust to hold you accountable whenever you start to drift toward comparison.
- Reach out. Find a few close friends who will commit to praying for and with you. Ask them to pray:
- That through the Holy Spirit, God would reveal any beliefs about Him that aren’t true,
- That God would give you strength as you commit to trusting in His love,
- That God’s love for you would become more evident to you with each passing day.
Just like with any other relationship, our trust in God’s love for us will build the longer we continue to walk with Him. So let’s commit today to take our next steps in order to trust in God no matter what, and let’s praise Him for all the incredible ways He allows us to experience His love each and every day.