In the last week or so, I have been challenged to change my "I love you, Lord!" to "I love you, too!" Do you know what has amazed me the most about this subtle but important difference.? First off it has calmed my spirit for striving to please. I am not one who believes we must earn our love, or earn our way into God's kingdom. I know God loves me unconditionally and his gift is free for the taking. Yet somehow if I am totally honest, I wonder deeply if I am not worthy of this love. There is a desperate desire in this to try to truly express my love for Him, for all he has done, for his favor and gifts of life, hoping that this will grow my relationship with the One who will always have done more for me. But by turning the tables a bit in my expression of my love for Him, I am amazed at what it is doing to our time together... I am choosing to recognize that He indeed loves me far more than I can ever imagine. And just like I accept His gift of salvation, when I say "I love you, too!" I am saying that I recognize that He loved me first. Additionally, I am seeing as each day passes that not only do I rest more knowing He loved me first but I am free and able to love Him more. And no surprise I am also able to love others more openly and without hesitation when I am constantly accepting, welcoming and recognizing His love. A loved individual gives love easily.
The other astounding thing I have recognized is that I am noticing all the small ways He is telling me He loves me every single day. I find myself saying "I love you, too!" way more than I expected....Really...He has been reminding me muliple times a day. A simple moment of getting a parking space that's deperately needed, a guy walking down the street with a shirt saying "Jesus died for your sins", a gorgeous sunset, a compliment from a friend, an unexpected hug at a key moment, an answer to prayer, the blessing of new life, on and on... I keep saying "I love you, too, Lord!!!" wow...I had no idea how much He loves me until I decided to tell Him "I love you, too!"
Don't you realize how taken with you our Lord is? Don't you know that He is spending time trying to let you know this each and every day? Won't you stop in all your busyness, won't you stop all your doubting and take a moment to say to our infinitely loving Father "I love you, too!"? Then you may just find yourself resting and receiving a love that truly satisfying to your soul: streams of living water welling up from within.
Wow God!!! I love you, too!!
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