You love me anyway. These are the words that are sung over and over again in the song by Sidewalk Prophets about the love go God. Growing up I learned as a kid God loves me and everyone in the world. As a child we soak that right up and we cling to it like it’s the greatest thing in the world. We all can remember the old song Jesus Love me this I know….(I’m sure you’re singing it now haha). As a kid you sing that and you think Jesus loves me, I am something special. As we grow older we still cling to that, but it’s easy to understand but harder to grasp. When we do something wrong in this world we get in trouble and get punished. We get yelled at or even just silent treatments. People come and go from our lives and the love we felt in these relationships, aren’t that strong anymore. What I’ve noticed is that the world may change and people may change, but my God will never change! He will never leave me or forsake me! That right there is amazing to me!
I’m gonna get real personal with y’all for a second. When I was in my youth group as a kid, I felt so close to God and the fellowship I had with my friends was great and I felt I was on top of the world. We went to missions camps whwre we would do construction, social work( food pantries, nursing home ect.), games and rec., and children’s ministry. We would go to a certain city and sign up for a track group and work in that group for one week. It was amazing. I would come back so on fire. Once I got out of high school, I started kinda going off the path a bit. I was going out and drinking a lot and hanging with people who were bringing me down instead of lifting me up. I got to the point I hit the bottom. my girlfriend at the time had left me and I was a wreck. I remember looking for happiness at the bottom of bottles and maybe a few joints of weed, instead of looking for God. I met some people who just started working with me and they invited me to a conference. I put if off and finally just to shut them up, I went. What I heard at that conference ignited a fire in my heart that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I never lost my faith, but I wasn’t feeding it either. that conference saved my life from where I was at. I started reading more, going to church again, and even stopped drinking as much.
Through all that experience I felt like a terrible person for the things I did and the way I turned my back on God. I realize now He never left me! When I was walking away from Him, He was right there running after me and pursuing me. I felt I wasn’t good enough to be loved by God and didnt deserve His love. He loves me anyway. God loved me through it all. He loves me the same today, as he did back then. When I felt I was doing all the right things in life He loved me. When I wasn’t doing the things I thought I should, He loved me. It’s so crazy to grasp that concept. He loves me so much. When I screw up, He doesn’t stop loving me. I screw up everyday, but He loves me anyway. In the world people who say they love you, sometimes leave you. That’s what we see as love. The best thing about it, God isn’t like us and the world. He has a love we can’t even begin to fathom or describe. I’m so happy to have a God who when I felt like giving up on myself, He never gives up on me. Through my storm He yelled out STOP and it did. The greatest display of love is when Jesus hung on a cross for the world. God loves you and I so much to send His own son to die for us. That is so crazy! He loves us that much! If that doesn’t just blow your mind that you are that important, then you must have no emotions.
I learn everyday how much He loves me. Everyday I remind myself of that so I never lose sight of it. This trip on The World Race I’m about to embark on is something I am so excited for. I am ready to step out into the world and into the unknown and share the love of God. I’m scared no doubt, but I know He will never leave me. His love is never ending. I want to show that love to the world. It’s crazy to think He can use someone as messed up as me and use it for His glory. I heard Pastor Craig Groeschel one time say it best. “God uses idiots” and for once in my life I’m proud to be that idiot.
