Steadiness of God's Love

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

My father left my mother when I was four years old, and that was my first encounter with heartbreak. It was also the first time I remember feeling abandoned. My four-year-old heart longed for my father's love, leaving me to become an emotionally unsettled woman who looked for love in all the wrong places.

Yet, I've found no truer words than those written in Psalm 27:10, "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me."

Despite the father who left, I grew to recognize how God the Father was filling the void in my life. Now, I realize how God sent me male figures who consistently showed up for me. When I needed it most, they were there to share lessons about faith, professional wisdom or help me celebrate great moments. These experiences and many others like them were the manifestation of God's love for me. They also made 1 John 3:1-3 come alive in my life, as God the Father continued to lavish his love on me. Likewise, the earthly presence of God's safety, security, commitment, and guidance filled the void of abandonment. It also created space for me to accept the steadiness of God the Father's love, which over time, allowed the wounds of the four-year-old girl in me to heal.

It was never in God's plan for us to feel unloved. Instead, He sent His Son to die for abandonment, rejection, and so much more. He loves us so much that He takes care of us when we don't even know it. Whether it's through the support we receive from family and friends or through His miraculous power, the Lord says, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). We, His children, are always at the forefront of God's mind and are never forgotten (Isaiah 49:14-16).

Reflection

• What life experiences can you recall that demonstrate God's love for you?

Declaration

There's no place I can go and nothing I can do to escape God's love for me. I embrace His love for me by aligning my lifestyle, speech, thoughts, and feelings with things that please Him. May I find and recognize God's steadfast love for me with focus and intention.