Over the last few months it has been more common to walk down the street and hear whistles, proposals, confessions of love, kissy noises, and a variety of obscene/sweet compliments than it is to not. Catcalling. Sometimes we laugh it off. Sometimes we cringe and pretend it didn’t happen. Sometimes we hear it so often we don’t realize it is even happening. Sometimes we get a little scared. Sometimes we contemplate why the only English phrase a man in this remote village knows is, “I love you, baby.”
I mean, how can he love me if he doesn’t know me?
Somewhere along the way, the word love has lost a lot of meaning. I’m not sure when that happened, or why, but it seems like love is just something you say at the end of a phone conversation or because everyone else is doing it.
What is love? (Baby don’t hurt me)
As I have been writing this post, I have been listening to my music on shuffle and 6 songs have had 6 different definitions for love but I don’t think any of them are right. My dictionary says that love is “an intense feeling of deep affection” or “a great interest or pleasure in something or someone.” But I think it is more than just that— I want it to be more than that.
I want to find what love actually means.
I want to share with you what I have been learning about love since I have been on the Race. Over the past few months God has repeatedly shown me a verse defining what love is.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:10-11 NIV).”
How great a thing love is! God is love. Before we were even created God knew us and loved us. We never did anything to earn it. God does not love us only when we dedicate a year or a lifetime to serving him. He does not love us because we chose to love him first. God loves each and every person he created and he waits patiently for us to love him back.
How cool is that? God loved us way before we ever decided to love him; way before we even existed. Because he loved us, he sent his Son— the only man to ever be perfect— to give us a chance to be with Him forever.
What do I know is true about God’s love? Well, it is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible and it is a major theme throughout. God’s love is described as steadfast (Job 10:12, Psalm 90:14) and he will love you forever (Psalm 100:5). His love is slow to anger (Psalm 145:8). His love is better than life itself (Psalm 63:3). These are just a few examples but one of my favorite qualities of God’s love is that it never lessens (Isaiah 54:10).
Let me tell you a little bit about what God’s love means to me. I am a sinner. I have made so many mistakes and I have sinned so many times that I can’t even count them. I struggled with shame and I convinced myself that I am unlovable. I let other people define my worth only to fall short again and again. But guess who doesn’t care? God doesn’t care what other people have to say about me. God knows every single time I make a mistake but time and time again he erases it from his book and gives me a clean slate. He offers me forgiveness and shows me that because of his grace I don’t need to feel shame any longer. God’s love gives me the amazing opportunity to walk in FREEDOM. Freedom from my mistakes; freedom from my past; freedom from my worries, doubts, shames, and struggles; freedom from what others think of me. God’s love has renewed me— I no longer have to walk around with the shackles I placed on myself, I can rejoice in the freedom of love.
God’s love is life changing.
Because God’s love is abundant and evident in our lives, he calls us to love one another. God doesn’t want us to just love those who love us back. He wants us to love everyone without exception because that is the kind of love he has for us (Psalm 109:4). God’s love is the perfect example set for us to follow.
Choose to love for the glory of his kingdom.
Update and Prayer Requests:
Hey everyone! We are currently in Cambodia! I will be posting some of our Asia pictures on Facebook in a couple days and I also have a couple more blog posts coming soon about what life was like in a closed country as well as my decision to drop my pack and live out of a much smaller backpack!
-Please continue to keep me and a few of my other squadmates in your prayers as we are still not fully funded.
-Pray that God brings a revival to Vietnam, especially in Dalat where some amazing friends work tirelessly for his kingdom there!
-Pray that God becomes evident in Cambodia
-Pray for safety and health for me and my squad!
Thank you!
