[loved]

There's nothing you can do to be more loved or accepted by God than you are right now.

Seriously.

God loves even people who don't love or accept him. Isn't that crazy? I think this idea could be really transforming for me, but I'm not sure all the implications yet. I'm not sure I would have believed it six months ago. But I do now, absolutely. I've had a love breakthrough.

If there's something in you that balks at this idea, if there's something in you that starts accusing or naming names or calling out other people or feeling guilty or anything else, be aware of it. Try to get behind it, try to think about why you feel this way about love. And bring it to God. See what happens; I'm confident you'll find something behind that idea that isn't God's love. But whether you give up that false idea or not, God loves you.

Love is about the giver, not the receiver. It exists whether it's recognized or not. And if God IS Love, then it's more about him offering it than you receiving it. There might be consequences for rejecting love, but they're not about love, they're just about consequences.

Religion tells me there's something more I can do. More behavior changes, more repentance, more words, more trust, more giving, more serving, more actions, more more. Even as a Christian, there's more I need to do to earn God's love. But that's a lie. Love is there, real, whether I acknowledge it or not. My acknowledgment doesn't change anything about the fact that it exists.

Religion tells you to change. Jesus just says come, and you will be changed.

To love is the opposite of to demand. Love gives, even if that gift is rejected. It's free, whether it's taken or not. It's hands held out continually, saying come here, I want to give you everything you need. Of course, love is better enjoyed when it's received, but it's not given any better. Does that make sense?

LOVE exists outside of the need to be accepted. It wants to be. It delights in being accepted. It is amazing when it is accepted! But it doesn't have to be grasped for it to be LOVE. It is complete in itself, it desires a response, but it doesn't require one.

How could God love like that? I don't know. I certainly can't.
But I know that he does.