Reason #221
I crawled into the hotel bed last night and counted the hours of sleep ahead of me. I am notorious for hitting snooze and turning off the alarm in the morning, so to be safe, I decided to set the hotel alarm clock along with the alarm on my phone. To ensure that I would actually get out of bed, I set my phone on the other side of the room. I inspected the hotel alarm clock for a while before I figured out how to operate it. I opted to wake up to music rather than the annoying buzzer, so I turned the dial until I could find a station. I came to the first static-free station and just happened to catch the beginning of a song. The music was soothing so I decided I would listen to the song before going to sleep.
As I listened to the words, a huge rush of emotion washed over me. Gratitude, joy, thankfulness, peace, but most of all love. An overwhelming, indescribable, unexplainable feeling of love. The words hit home all too closely, but as I listened to them, there was no saddness to be found in my spirit, just praise. The chorus said," You're not alone, for I am here. Let me wipe away your every fear. My love, I've never left your side. I have seen you through the darkest night, and I'm the one who's loved you all your life."
A love like this, I don't understand. And when I try to grasp it, I fall so short. It blows my mind that the One who truly sees me inside and out loves me that deeply. And He always has. No amount of failure, shame, stubborn-ness, pride, ungratefulness, human-ness will ever change that either. I had a conversation about God's love on Sunday afternoon and I made a point to hide in my heart a phrase was shared with me. "Nothing you ever do could make God love you more than He already does." Nothing. Not a single thing. No matter what I do, what I walk through, what I say, how I say it, where I go, no matter how hard I fall, how low I feel, He still loves me to the absolute fullest. No more, no less, the maximum amount of love always! In the morning when I wake with bed head, sleepy eyes and wrinkled pajamas, He loves me to the fullest. As I walk through my daily tasks often being unaware of His presence, He loves me to the fullest. When I let my flesh get the best of me and I trip and fall, He loves me to the fullest. When I cry my eyes out because I don't understand and I'm confused, He loves me to the fullest. When I go before Him with a repentant heart pouring out my guilty conscience in return for fogiveness, He loves me to the fullest. When I disobey, make my own plans and forget to thank Him for all He's done, He loves me to the fullest. When I slide my tired body under the sheets at night and close my heavy eyelids, He loves me to the fullest. Not a single second of my life goes by when He doesn't love me to the absolute fullest.
And so I can't believe it. I can't believe that the Creator of the universe feels this way about me. I can't believe I could evoke such emotion in the God who sees all, knows all and holds it all in His nail scarred hands. Because I am so imperfect, so simple-minded, so undeserving, but it doesn't change how He feels about me. And nothing feels better than knowing that you are the recipient of such great love. Love that never changes, never fails, never weakens, and never leaves.
#221 - Because nothing I do will make Him love me more than He already does.
"But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life."- Psalm 42:8
As I listened to the words, a huge rush of emotion washed over me. Gratitude, joy, thankfulness, peace, but most of all love. An overwhelming, indescribable, unexplainable feeling of love. The words hit home all too closely, but as I listened to them, there was no saddness to be found in my spirit, just praise. The chorus said," You're not alone, for I am here. Let me wipe away your every fear. My love, I've never left your side. I have seen you through the darkest night, and I'm the one who's loved you all your life."
A love like this, I don't understand. And when I try to grasp it, I fall so short. It blows my mind that the One who truly sees me inside and out loves me that deeply. And He always has. No amount of failure, shame, stubborn-ness, pride, ungratefulness, human-ness will ever change that either. I had a conversation about God's love on Sunday afternoon and I made a point to hide in my heart a phrase was shared with me. "Nothing you ever do could make God love you more than He already does." Nothing. Not a single thing. No matter what I do, what I walk through, what I say, how I say it, where I go, no matter how hard I fall, how low I feel, He still loves me to the absolute fullest. No more, no less, the maximum amount of love always! In the morning when I wake with bed head, sleepy eyes and wrinkled pajamas, He loves me to the fullest. As I walk through my daily tasks often being unaware of His presence, He loves me to the fullest. When I let my flesh get the best of me and I trip and fall, He loves me to the fullest. When I cry my eyes out because I don't understand and I'm confused, He loves me to the fullest. When I go before Him with a repentant heart pouring out my guilty conscience in return for fogiveness, He loves me to the fullest. When I disobey, make my own plans and forget to thank Him for all He's done, He loves me to the fullest. When I slide my tired body under the sheets at night and close my heavy eyelids, He loves me to the fullest. Not a single second of my life goes by when He doesn't love me to the absolute fullest.
And so I can't believe it. I can't believe that the Creator of the universe feels this way about me. I can't believe I could evoke such emotion in the God who sees all, knows all and holds it all in His nail scarred hands. Because I am so imperfect, so simple-minded, so undeserving, but it doesn't change how He feels about me. And nothing feels better than knowing that you are the recipient of such great love. Love that never changes, never fails, never weakens, and never leaves.
#221 - Because nothing I do will make Him love me more than He already does.
"But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life."- Psalm 42:8