Why does God care about us?
Some may wonder why God cares about us in the first place. Why would the God who created the entire universe, who has all power and all riches, and who has existed for all eternity, care about little old me?
But that is what is so amazing! He does care about me. He cares about you. He cares about the big things and about the itty-bitty things.
Years ago, I experienced God’s love in a very real way for a very minor need. I was overseas working with a mission organization and happened to be sewing a flap on a green backpack and needed a green button to complete the job. Specifically, the button needed to be large and green. I prayed, “God, I need a button for this bag.”
The next day, while taking my morning walk and prayer time, I stepped off the curb and there in front of me was a large green button. It was perfect.
Insignificant? Yes. Minor? Yes. Unnecessary? Yes. Irrelevant? Absolutely not! Finding that button showed me that God cared about me.
So, why does God care about us? It is because He loves us. And He loves us more than we will ever fathom, comprehend, or understand. He loves us more than we will ever know.
You Are Loved
Matthew Botsford’s life changed instantly. Standing outside of a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. One minute Matt and his two business associates were talking, the next minute a car went by and sprayed them with automatic gunfire.
One friend was killed instantly; the other was not touched; and Matt was hit in the head. The 9mm bullet entered the right parietal region of his head and lodged itself deep in the front of his brain. He also died, but he came back to life.
”I found myself in a cold dark room,” recalls Matt. ”I was shivering and my teeth were chattering. Then I heard a voice clearly say, ’It is not your time.’ I felt myself being pulled up out of the darkness by a warm hand, and then I woke up.”
CPR and a quick ambulance were vital in getting him the immediate care he needed. In all, Matt estimates that he was dead for about 15 minutes. It was touch and go for a few days, but he pulled through. The doctors opted to leave the bullet in his head for fear of creating further brain damage by trying to remove it. The paralysis he experienced in his left arm and left leg were due to the extensive damage to the right areas of his brain.
Still partially paralyzed today, Matt had to relearn how to do almost everything. Physical therapists, speech therapists, doctors, nurses, and countless surgeries were his life for two grueling years. His wife, Nancy, was a constant source of encouragement and strength along the way.
”Even more amazing than the fact that Matt lived,” says Nancy, ”is the fact that we didn’t even know God at the time of the accident. We were atheists and had completely rejected any notion of there being a God. Why then would the God of the universe care about Matt? And why would this God, whom we denied even existed, reach down and give Matt a second chance?”
Matt and Nancy had a lot of questions, but for two full years they put the questions aside as Matt focused on getting his life back. Matt explains, ”Eventually I was able to walk again, sometimes with the help of a cane, and my left arm has limited mobility … but I am alive!”
It was then that they began to address their questions, and in so doing, they came to know that God truly loved them. It was His love that drew them to Him. God showed them mercy and kindness years before they chose to love Him back.
Living free
What happens to those who are free? What do they do?
Quite simply, they love. It’s natural. It flows out of them like a spring of water that bubbles right out of the ground. What’s more, the love cannot be stopped!
Those who live free will in turn love God, love themselves, and love others. What does that entail? What does that mean?
The answer to that is your journey of life. It is what you get to do as you live free. It is your destiny.
It all begins when you accept that you are loved.
We All Want to Be Loved
Let’s pause for a minute and answer this question: ”What is love?”
Some call it a feeling, an emotion, and even a choice. Others call it romantic, selfish, or temporary. Some claim it to be spiritual, selfless, and permanent.
And then consider how you feel love?
That is even more open for personal interpretation. It might be a friendly glance or a hug. It might be a piece of candy or cup of coffee. It might be a kiss or beautiful sunrise. It might even be the slobbering affection of a pet or the scribbled ”I love you” note from a child.
However you define love and however you feel loved, there is one truth that we all hold in common: we all long to be loved. We want to be loved. We need to be loved. Something within us cries out to be loved.
So, whatever shape it comes in, we want it.
Why is that the case? Why do we need love? It is within us to be loved, like God created us to need love, and without it, a part of us is empty.
It is time to know that you are loved … it is time to be free.
You Can Be Free
”Once you believe and accept that you are loved by God, you then can begin accepting and loving yourself.” — Vicki Johnson
Love is what enables people to accomplish impossible feats, to face great danger, to turn the other cheek, and even to die. Love is a powerful force that gives us the freedom we all desperately want and need.
How do you let love in?
There is only one way to let love in. It’s not that complicated, but most of us have convoluted the issue. We use our logic, our reasoning, and our way of life to keep love out. Whatever the excuse and whatever the reason, we must allow love into our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls.
So, how do you let love in? Here’s the answer that will change your world: Accept that you are loved.
We are not talking about knowing that your mom and dad love you, though that is important. We are not talking about your spouse or children loving you, and that is also important. This is about divine love and accepting that God loves you right now, just the way you are, because He wants to.
Yes, also you need to receive love from other people, but at your core, it is God’s love for you that must be accepted.
Author John Edmund Haggai once wrote: ”You need a certainty that God loves you. You may say, ’I’m not religious. I don’t need God.’ But whether we like it or not, we all have a spiritual side. We all have spiritual needs. Only by understanding that God loves, forgives, and accepts you can you achieve a healthy self-esteem.”
People change, but God does not; people are not always full of love, but God is; family members may reject you, but God is always for you. His love for you is beyond measure, beyond description, and beyond understanding … but it is important that you DO try to measure, describe, and understand some of it.
Why? Because doing so will set you free!
Where Love Begins
Where do you begin on this love journey? Begin by accepting that you are loved. Just accept it.
Now, can you measure it, understand it, break it, or stop it? No, you can’t, but that doesn’t change the fact that you are loved, now does it?
Good. Remember that. Forever.
From there, you build.