Simply Soul Searching
HOW IS GOD LOVING ME – AND WHERE IS GOD LEADING ME?
LIMITING GOD’S LOVE
Years ago, the ELCA churches in northwest Ohio united for an event in which volunteers hiked or biked from one church to the next. The event was intended to foster connections between the churches as we prayed for one another and for our communities while we traveled. I was part of the organizing team, and I wrote a prayer for the pastor or church leader to pray at each stop along the way.
In this prayer, I included the sentence, “God, thank you for loving us.” As the day progressed, I noticed that a few ministry leaders paused or looked uncomfortable as they said these words. One pastor eliminated it completely. This was perplexing to me. Why wouldn’t we be grateful for the love of God?
This memory came back to me recently and inspired some reflection…
If we trust that God IS love–an infinite source of life and love beyond our comprehension–maybe we differ according to our personal experience, perception, or understanding of what love is. We constrain God’s love to our own limited understanding. We may regard love either as merited or freely given… as demanding or gracious… as merciful or punitive… as universal or particular for a chosen few. Much of our understanding comes from the way we were taught or shown God’s love through our parents, mentors, churches, and cultures. Maybe these event leaders were concerned about the possible stances we may have taken when praying those words.
For example, we might have prayed, “Thank you, God, for loving us…” while feeling justified, righteous, or superior (…more than others). We may have felt unworthy or embarrassed to pray (…but I don’t really believe you can love me). Our circumstances may have caused us to be angry or ungrateful with God (…but I am only praying this because everyone else is). Some of us may have felt we were not loved at all (silence).
How blessed we are that God’s love is not dependent on our worthiness or our feelings. As we keep deepening in love for God and of God, may we learn to trust that we are loved in every way:
Even, despite, always, because, anyway.
Beautifully, abundantly, kindly, joyfully.
Gracefully, mercifully, humbly, instructively.
Beyond, above, below, within, throughout.
Immeasurably.
Completely.
Eternally.
Thank you, God, for loving us.
(Photo by Karen)
Simply Soul Searching 
I saw Heaven’s golden glow
today; how it does shine!,
but though invited, didn’t go,
for it is not my time.
If I’m to be a channel
for God’s love and grace,
I just have to handle
all I’ve got to face,
and find in it transfiguration,
pain and fear turned into light.
I long, yes, for that destination
with jeweled foundations bright,
but it’s this life I’m here to live,
passing on what God trusts me to give.
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