Unconditional Love
Zechariah 13:9
Many people in the world are afraid of religion. People think they aren’t good enough. “How can God love me in His position of power over the entire universe.” “As messed up as my life is, there’s no way whoever’s in charge of it cares one bit about me.” We judge the bad experiences in our lives as punishment or God not caring for us. Or no one looking out for us at all. We come to questions like, “Why me?” and think, “Man, I just have the worst luck.” These depressive states aren’t healthy, and are not the ways God wants us to feel. He puts these situations on us because He wants us to grow from them. When something bad happens, God is working in many more lives than yours (and the person involved in the event, if it is someone else). However, that never means that He is not working in yours. No matter what you do, who you are, what you believe, what happens to you and the people around you, what somone did to you, what you say, what you think, or any other variables that could possibly influence you, God loves you. Completely, and all the time. God knows (and probably played a major role in) everything about us. He knows our potential, what can make us better, how we feel and react in certain situations, and what can make us bounce back from a bad experience in a way that we can still learn from it. He wants good things for us so that we can do good things for Him by doing good things in other peoples lives. And He can shape us into a very efficient tool for doing so.
When tough times come our way, and eventually pass over, we remember well how much it hurt, and how we got through it. Later on, if we find someone experiencing similar problems, we know how to help. Wouldn’t it be grand to find out that you helped someone with a problem you had already experienced and cleared his mind enough that he listened more intently at his weeknight bible study he attended with his friends and gave his life to Jesus? Such is the work of God. Furthermore, He refines us in our faith in such a way that we can tell people His story directly rather than wait for them to find out on happier terms than before they met us. He makes us soldiers in His army, speakers in His courts, defenders of His truth, and preachers of His gospel.
However, it’s not always so clear what is facing us. Many times we find ourselves avoiding what we believe to be the enemy, when it is in fact God testing us. Many times we also place ourselves in situations that please the enemy while God watches us fail His tests. But, rest assured, no matter how many tests you fail or mistakes you make, God still loves and cares for you and will answer you every call. No matter what.
