Longing For Love

Have you ever wished someone would love you?  Or thought, “Why does no one love me?”  Loneliness often drives one to despair and makes one feel out of touch with others.  There may be moments—quiet, aching moments—when one’s heart whispers, “No one loves me.”  But that is a lie that often echoes in the silence due to one feeling rejected, lonely, or absence of affirmation.  While your feelings may be real, they are not always true.  Can my emotions mislead me?  Do they cause me to see things differently than they actually are?  What can help me when such occurs?  Yes, I want people to love me, but why do I not feel loved?

Did you know that when you realize how much God loves you that it can change your perspective?  You may often feel like people do not love you because of the way you act or think.  But that is not the case with God.  God’s love is not based on your performance.  Paul told the Christians at Rome, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5.8).  God loved you before you even reached out to Him.  God’s love is so great that you need to realize that He will never forget you.  Even though you may feel unloved and forgotten, the Bible teaches differently.  The prophet Isaiah said, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?  Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.  Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me” (Isaiah 49.15, 16).  Do you realize that you are permanently etched into the heart of God?  There is someone who loves you!

Can I be loved by God and still feel unloved?  Jesus definitely knew how that felt.  Isaiah 53.3, says, “He was despised and rejected by men.”  Jesus knows exactly what it is like to feel like no one loves me.  He was unloved by the world, but He still chose to love me in all my sins and imperfections.  There is one who will always love me even when I feel isolated and alone.  There is one who wants what is absolutely best for me (Romans 8.28).  There is one who will never walk away and abandon me for He promised He would never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13.5).  I have a friend who will always be by my side.  If I will stay focused on Jesus and His love, then I am never alone, and will not have to cry out for someone to love me.  Do you realize how much Jesus loves you?                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Gary