How To Feel Like God Loves You
The more I dwell on God’s true, just, pure love for me, the more his peace is with me!
A lot of people don’t feel like God loves them. Me included.
I mean, I know that God loves me. It’s probably the first thing I ever learned about God (thanks, Mom and Dad!)
But more often than not, I feel like God feels the same way I feel about myself. Which, truth be told, is pretty negative. I feel like I’m pretty dumb, and rather unlovable.
I’m really good at repeating a litany of self-hate. I feel my inadequacies keenly. I know most of my sins and selfishness intimately. I keep a running list of all my failings, some true and some not, and I review it frequently.
So, my daily experience with myself can be pretty nasty. In fact, that’s a huge part of my anxiety disorder.
But I’ve also discovered a different way. Something that has gone a long way to relieve my anxiety and self-disgust.
It’s about attention
The different way is not about changing my litany of thoughts about myself. I don’t put sticky notes on my mirror saying, “I’m lovable” nor do I repeat to myself that “I’m smart and gosh darn it people like me.”
Instead, I’m learning to change my litany of thoughts to be about God as he is revealed in his Word.
The “trick” is to change the content of my litany from myself to God. What he’s like. What he’s done for me. Instead of endlessly repeating a list of what’s wrong with me, I’m learning to endlessly repeat what God is like, what he thinks about me, what he feels about me.
The Bible’s word for this is “repentance.” In Greek metanoia. It means a "change of mind." Specifically a change of mind about God! Let me give you a few examples.
When I’m overcome by guilt and shame because of my sin, which is a perfectly correct response to seeing my failure, I can turn my attention to God’s response to my sin. In the words of David:
He forgives all [my] iniquity; he heals all [my] diseases. He redeems [my] life from the Pit; he crowns [me] with faithful love and compassion! (Psalm 103:3-4).
When I’m feeling stupid and inadequate, I can turn my attention to how God feels about me:
He will rejoice over [me] with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in [me] with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
It takes Practice
To be sure, redirecting my attention like this takes practice. Repentance is a daily thing. Sometimes an hourly thing. But with a little practice it starts to become second nature.
And Eastertide is the perfect time to pick up the practice! God’s final word on me has been delivered! To him, I’m worth dying for!
To him, I’m the 100th sheep, the lost coin, the prodigal son. He left heaven behind to find me! He overturned heaven and earth to rescue me! “Filled with compassion,” he ran into this world to embrace me! (Luke 15)
The more I dwell on God’s true, just, pure love for me, the more his peace is with me! Just as he said it would be (Philippians 4:8-9).
The practical how-to
Here's a simple way to start swapping your own verdict on yourself for Jesus’.
First, take a moment to read Romans 8:31-39 twice, slowly. Let the words be true and speak to the core of your being. Now ask yourself: what does God say about me, based on what Jesus has done?
Next, gently relax any resistance and notice how it feels in your body to consent to the truth of God’s love for you. Write these feelings down.
Finally, talk to God directly, like you would with a close friend. Tell him what you are afraid of, ask him for forgiveness, or simply tell him what you most want to hear him say about you. Again gently let go of any resistance to the truth of God’s word. God is for you!
Want a handy worksheet to help guide you? You can download it for free below!
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Provisions for the Road
Free Worksheet - A Guided Practice in Consenting to God's Love
We are offering a free downloadable worksheet as a companion to Brandon's article!
This worksheet will walk you through the practice of consenting with your mind, heart, and body to God's love for you.
Based on Romans 8:31-39, and beautifully illustrated, we hope this will be an enriching addition to your week!
Food for Thought
Things the team found interesting this week, no endorsement implied.
"He Is Not Here, For He Has Risen, As He Said."
By Gene Edward Veith at Cranach the Blog of Veith
“This photo is reportedly from inside Christ’s tomb, showing the actual place where Jesus’ body was laid.” And the site is actually well-attested, having been identified as the place where Christ was buried as far back in history as we can go. But the important point is that Christ really, bodily, rose from the dead! And so shall we! Happy Eastertide! He is risen!
All the Worst People Seem to Want to Be ‘High Agency’
By Sophie Haigney in The New York Times
This one is behind a paywall, but available with a free trial: According to current internet ethics: A “high agency” person is decisive, self-assured, and willing to take risks. They just do things because they can. “Low agency” people are cogs in the machine. They’re “nonplayer characters” in the world simulation. But, as Haigney poignantly notes, “You can just do things, sure, but what will you do? In the 21st century in America, we’ve collectively lost a sense of moral guidance and don’t even know exactly where to look for it.” Pure agency — pure will — without wisdom, brings hell, not utopia.
Psychiatry Needs to Get Right with God
By David H. Rosmarin at Scientific American
This piece is from 2021, but is still very relevant. During the pandemic “the only group to see improvements in mental health… were those who attended religious services at least weekly.” And the “two most underappreciated treatments for mental disorders are ‘love and faith.’” The research is clearly showing that belief in God “is associated with significantly better treatment outcomes for acute psychiatric patients.”
