When Joy Escapes Me By Nina SmitSample

Unconditional love

The thing that inspires me every time I find myself in great difficulty is the knowledge that God loves me unconditionally, despite all my shortcomings. He wants only the very best for me. As Paul told the church in Rome, absolutely nothing can separate us from God’s love (see Romans 8:31–32, 37–39). 

For some people it is almost impossible to accept this all-inclusive love of a holy God for an imperfect creation, because we know ourselves so well and know exactly how sinful we are. We are aware of how many times we have already disappointed God. 

Fortunately, He is so very different to us! You don’t have to prove yourself as being without sin in order to receive His love; He loves you just as you are. To me, this is most wonderfully reassuring. At no time does God decide to write us off for disregarding His grace once too often. Unlike God’s love, human love is never unconditional. We expect guarantees and evidence from our loved ones, and even then we don’t succeed in loving as God does.

These days, many people suffer from all sorts of fears: We are afraid of the brutal violence and ever-present crime plaguing our country; we are afraid of the many forms of malice to which we are subject. If you are currently staggering under all your fears, take a break and focus on God’s love for you. The only thing that can drive fear out of your life, forever, is love. So stop being afraid, because God’s unconditional love is already yours! He yearns to hear you tell Him that you love Him. He promises that your fears will disappear like morning mist before the sun (see Psalm 37:6).

Prayer

Heavenly Father, when my fears start to get too much for me, I think only of Your unconditional love for me, and it always brings me fresh encouragement. I praise You for showing me Your love every day through the things You do for me, and through the ways in which You care for and support me. I don’t have enough words at my disposal to express my thanks for the love You give me. Amen.