Lovable

Recently I was thanking God for how much He loves me, and just thinking about how His love transforms me. And I realized that because He loves me, I am made lovable. There is nothing in me—no personality trait, no goodness, no kindness, no amiability, no wisdom—that would make anyone else love me. There is nothing in my natural self that has any worth, apart from Him. Nothing that anyone would desire or delight in except for the good things I have been given by Him, or have learned from Him, or have experienced in Him.

As I meditated on that, I realized that the things I love most in other people are really reflections of God. Since we are made in His image, those things that draw me to others are really qualities that God has, and has planted in them. Whether a friend has a great sense of humor, or a family member has wisdom and insight, or when I sense a kinship with another Christian, it really is God’s image represented in them that attracts me and seals our relationship. If God is love, as His Word says, than all real love is founded in Him, and He delights when His children experience Him through loving relationships.

So when I think of my family and friends, those with whom I have really good relationships, I am doubly thankful. Not just that God brought them into my life, but that He has given me the capability to have relationship with them. That I have people to share life with, to laugh with, to pray with, to give me advice, to hold me accountable, and to walk with me on this journey. That God in me reaches out to God in them – deep cries out to deep. So that we can go beyond shallow acquaintances and move into something real, lasting, refreshing and of genuine worth.

God’s love makes me loving and lovable, and He’s doing the same in you!