Unconditional love

You may or may not have heard this before, but God's love is unconditional. What does that mean, exactly?

• He loves you always


• He loves you no matter the circumstance


• He loves you even when you don't reciprocate


• He loves you no matter what you do


• He loves you wholeheartedly


• He loves you tangibly


• He loves you no matter your self-image


• He loves you even when you forget


• He loves you sacrificially

This means that...

• He receives you with open arms every single time you come back to Him


• He always delights in you


• He empathizes and sympathizes with you


• His heart aches when you are hurting


• He hasn't forgotten about you, and He never will


• He knows what you are going through personally


• His love for you goes above and beyond sin


• He longs to be with you and for you to know Him and His love

Real love, true love, valuable love cannot be bought with money or gifts. But it does have a cost; otherwise, it's cheap love. It requires sacrifice, that sort of cost. Real love is what causes parents to sacrifice so much time, money, and energy for their children. It's what causes friends to make time for each other and stick by one another through hard moments. It's what causes a husband and wife to make changes in their lives in order to live harmoniously with each other. It's what caused Jesus to give up His life on the cross in order to bear the punishment that should have rightfully been mine, and yours.

See, valuable love never comes without some sort of cost. And that's the kind of love we should seek to give and receive. Of course it won't be without pain, and of course it's never easy to constantly love someone, and of course we cannot love completely unconditionally (we're only human, after all). But love like this is so priceless and difficult to find in today's world that when it presents itself, it's truly a marvel and something really cherished.