Why do you suppose God says so many times and in so many ways that he loves us?

Is it because we humans are so hard-headed, we have to hear it over and over before we finally get it?

Maybe it’s because in our uniqueness we each hear “I love you” in our own way. Debra-Butterfield

Or maybe it takes repetition to break down the wall of protection we’ve built around our hearts.

All of the above are certainly true about me. I struggled for the majority of my adulthood to believe anyone could love me—even God. People who said “I love you” constantly proved the opposite through their actions toward me. The wall of protection I built could have rivaled a moat and its castle walls.

Could God’s deepest, truest reason be because he wants us to have no doubt—not even the tiniest inkling of doubt—that he loves us?

Most people are familiar with John 3:16, but many don’t stop to ponder the depth, emotion, and commitment that are the foundation of those words.

Christ died for us! Is that the action of someone who doesn’t love us?

And having paid such a high price, would God neglect our needs and desires? The answering is a resounding,”NO!”

Do you doubt God loves you? Jeremiah 31:3 NLT says, “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.”

An everlasting love—that’s a love that never ends, a love that spans eternity.

Do you believe God’s love is conditional? Romans 5:8 NLT says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

God didn’t wait for us to get our lives right. He died for us while we were steeped in sin.

God’s love is the foundation of his relationship with us. It is the motivation behind his every action. He may work in mysterious ways, but he does not keep himself a mystery.

He does not want us to doubt how much he loves us.

“The faithful love of the LORD never ends!” (Lamentations 3:22 NLT)

© 2015 Debra L. Butterfield
Debra L. Butterfield is a freelance writer, editor, and the author of “Carried by Grace” and “Mystery on Maple Hill” (a short story e-book). She has contributed stories to numerous anthologies that include “Miracles and Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories of Survival” and “The Benefit Package.” You can find her at http://DebraLButterfield.com. You can purchase “Carried by Grace” at Amazon http://amzn.to/1PNBQ4F.