When He tells you to love your enemies, He gives you the love that He demands from you.

Mama's love had always been the kind that acted itself out with soup pot and sewing basket. But now that these things were taken away, the love seemed as whole as before. She sat in her chair at the window and loved us. She loved the people she saw in the street—and beyond: her love took in the city, the land of Holland, the world. And so I learned that love is larger than the walls that shut it in.

And so I learned that love is larger than the walls that shut it in.

We were created not for earth but for eternity. We were created not to be Liked but to show love. We were created not to draw attention to ourselves but to give glory to God. We were created not to collect followers but to follow Christ.

He is the God who loved you so much that His Son stripped Himself of all heavenly glory to live as an impoverished Jewish carpenter so He could shed His blood, suffer, and die for the forgiveness of our sins.

God loves you so much that he's searching the wild, dark night to save you. He's moving all his furniture and tearing up the carpet simply to reach you. God is watching every moment of every day, waiting for you to return home, and when you're yet only a dot on the horizon, he'll sprint toward you, his arms flung wide and a joyous grin lighting his face.

By God's grace, he found me and saved me.

And there is nothing you can do to make God love you less. Love is not something God does. It is who God is. And because of who he is, God loves you. Period.

Life has trained many of us to think of love as temporary and conditional.

When we truly know God, rather than living ashamed of our past of doubting God's love for us, we can daily enjoy his grace and unconditional love and acceptance. As our faith and prayer life grows, we'll see his goodness—even in our trials—and grow to forgive as he has freely forgiven us.

I can promise you this: If you really, sincerely, genuinely want God back, He hasn't moved. He's still there, just like always, ready to bear-hug you again, just like in the old days.

The truth, not just for me but for you, is that our value is based not on what we do but on who made us (Ps. 139:13—16).