Do You Believe You're Loved Enough?
What happens when God’s love doesn’t feel like enough? Maybe you think you “aren’t supposed to feel that way,” but what if God seems silent? Perhaps loneliness and anger are starting to set in.
You keep failing over and over again, leaving you feeling guilty, withdrawn and unlovable.
Or maybe you gave up on the idea of God a long time ago because life got too hard and suffering wasn’t what you signed up for. Jesus was supposed to fix all your problems, but instead the world around you remained a mess.
No matter what you believe, we are all trying to cope with things we think “ought not to be” in the world and inside of us.
The fact that racism still exists, fatherlessness, that guy breaking your heart – these are all reminders of “ought-not-to-be-ness.”
When these things happen, do you struggle to believe that God is good, or even that He exists?
I would say, God not only exists in a world like this, but He responds to our “ought-not-to-be-ness” as well as our pain. He moves in close “when someone is hurting or brokenhearted” (Psalms 34:18). He came into the world to restore it.
What would your life, or the world, be like if we lived like God was really like this?
But after years of calling myself a Christian, it is still a constant battle to believe God really loves me.
In all our “ought-not-to-be-ness,” He loves us. Not only that, but He loves the whole world (whether you believe in Him or not) perfectly with a NEVER failing, always hoping and always persevering love.
This is why Jesus came; He made a way for us to know and experience that love in the face of all our “ought-not-to-be-ness.” And He doesn’t just stop there. God wants us to take the love we’ve received and respond to the “ought-not-to-be-ness” things in the world. Because we are loved enough we can be conduits of His love to others.
What would it be like if we did just that? Would we be free to not only handle our failure, but the failure of others differently? Could we respond in forgiveness and humility because we have so experienced God’s loved enough kind of love?
How would you live differently if you really believed you were loved enough?
What risks would you take? How would you approach that conflict with your friend? How would you spend your time? Who would you ask for forgiveness? How would you interact with your children or spouse, if you knew that your worth and your ability to be loved did not rest on the money you earned or the things you did?
This month, Cru wants to talk about what it means to be loved enough and how embracing that fact can change the way we live.
LOVED ENOUGH ACTION STEPS
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If you’ve never experienced that loved enough kind of love from God or don’t know what that means, read how to know God personally and have confidence in His love for you.
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Ask God to show you the areas in your life where you are doubting His loved enough kind of love. Is there anyone you are withholding that loved enough kind of love from?
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Take our loved enough challenge:
- Write loved enough on your hand, a T-shirt or somewhere visible with hopes of starting conversations about love on Valentine's weekend.
- Do something this month as a result of being loved enough (reconcile a friendship, lead an outreach, etc.)
Where Do You Find Your Value?
Feeling valuable can influence your emotions, decisions and mental well being, so finding your value in things that last is important. Are the things you find your worth in satisfying you?
Sign up for our email series to learn more about placing your value in things that are truly satisfying.
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