I had never understood God’s unconditional love in my life until I asked this question: How had God reacted to my mistakes/sin in the past? I got this question a few weeks ago but was scared to go there with God. I was scared that I would find that He had reacted to me angrily, and that looking back I would see that His love is conditional. That’s not what happened though.
I sat down one day outside of our hotel to ask this question after listening to a podcast on God’s unconditional love and the story of the prodigal son. I was still fearful that I was going to see his anger and judgment towards me, but I knew I needed to ask the question so I did. A few of this sins from my past were cutting, anger towards people, unforgivness, stealing etc. What I found about God’s heart towards me in all these places blew my mind!
I found that:
- I had never been cast out His love even when I had sinned.
- That He had always been present in my life and had never left me.
- That He allowed natural consequences for my actions, (court, tickets, relational pain) but that those consequences had actually saved me from death, more pain, brokenness, and danger that I could have encountered without an abrupt stop from consequences.
- He loved me in and out of my sin.
- While with sin He still talked to me, brought me closer to Him, grew me and had never disowned me.
He loved me in my good and bad and will always. I am his child. He chose to save me and I accepted his free gift of salvation. While I was still a sinner Christ died for me. God loves everyone: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son…” God loves the whole world that’s why he sent his son. Before his son and even after his son we are not without sin which means God still loves sinners. He does not take away his love when we sin and then give it back when we are “good” that would not be unconditional love. That is how I used to view God’s love. He proved that wrong this week when I took the time to see how he reacted to my poor decisions in the past. All I saw from him was that he was with me all the time, still spoke to me, was even investing in my life by continuing to teach me about Him and how He saved me from even greater pain etc by allowing consequences for my actions. This was him loving me through my mess. He was never angry towards me, and never had wrath stored up. He only had love towards me and He only has love towards you.
