Loved By God

Last night I had two back-to-back experiences that got me thinking.  First of all, my husband and I hosted our first session of a new small group with other Christians as we began the video/discussion portion of a short-term series our whole church is currently going through.  We talked about how God loves us and created us to love him because he cares about us.  After everyone left, I watched the Academy Awards show on television.  I probably couldn’t have done two more contrasting things in the same evening.

The Oscar program showcased lots of Hollywood stars seeking the love and recognition of their peers, which is measured by the winning of the award they were nominated for.  In other words, many more people went away feeling unloved and unrecognized than those who won, since there were at least four other nominees (and sometimes more) in every category.  On the other hand, our small group focused on how much God loves us no matter who we are or what we’ve done – and how he created us just so we could love him in return.

The Hollywood crowd tried to wear all the right clothes, talk to or sit by all the right people, and find their joy in the festivities and the hope of hearing their name read as a winner.  You and I don’t have to do anything to impress God and can find our joy in obeying him and following his leading in our lives – regardless of how anyone else feels about us or whether we get recognition for anything we’ve done.

Now I enjoy a good movie and appreciate good acting when I see it.  There are some excellent stories being told well that can move us all in many ways.  But I am very thankful that my worth doesn’t come from what I do or what others think or say about me – but only from the fact that God loves me and created me in his image.  And I’m thankful that he can be counted on to continue to love me no matter what I do, what I look like, who my friends are, or how many kudos I receive from others.  Only what God thinks of me matters – and his faithfulness means I can count on him to always love me.  And the good news is: he feels the same way about you!

“Long before [God] laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love . . .                           Ephesians 1:4 (The Message)