“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16

How does God feel about you?

This was the simple question I recently asked my daughter as I finished brushing her hair before school. I sensed she was nervous about her day ahead. She told me she was worried about how her classmates would react to her school project. The dread of being called “weird” loomed over her. Third grade is hard on so many levels.

Instead of convincing her otherwise, I began to remind her of the truth about how the people who care for her most feel about her. She agreed with me that her family and friends love her and think she is amazing. She even admitted that she thinks she’s amazing too. But then there came a long pause when I asked her the question about how God feels about her. As a nine-year-old, it’s not surprising that she had not given that question much thought before. But what if you were asked that same question? Would you hesitate, too?

HOW DOES GOD FEEL ABOUT US, REALLY?

So I began to search the New Testament Scriptures for the word “love.” It caused me to contemplate how Jesus demonstrated His love to people while on Earth. 

There was a period in my life when I responded with hesitation. The question seemed to haunt me and interfered with my ability to talk openly and honestly with my Heavenly Father.

The passage of Scripture from John 3:16 struck me the most. It’s a familiar verse that very succinctly describes how we come to faith in Jesus. Yet its beginning phrase is what stood out to me. “God so loved the world…” God so loved us. He so loved you and me. Before we were born, before we took our first breath, His thoughts on us were of love.

So. Much. Love.

The thing about love is we don’t always feel it. But love is not just a feeling. It is a choice, an intentional choice we make to bestow on others. God chose to love us from His first creation of man.

He continues to love us today. 

So, what is your answer to the question, “How does God feel about me?” Do you believe that the sacrifice of His Son was meant for you, too? Perhaps it’s time we reexamine how that truth manifests itself in our everyday lives. If we choose to believe day by day that we are so loved by God, what difference would that make in our lives?

In your life?

What difference would it make as you seek to love others?

Written by Melissa Henderson, Guest Contributor