"Because I do"

"Why do you love me?"

Ever asked that before? 

Ever had to answer that question before? 

It seems to be this question that we all want to know the answer to, a question where we're essentially asking: what about me is worth loving? What about me do you value? What about me is good? 

We're sometimes desperate to hear the answer. 

I had a girl recently ask me that question: "Why do you love me? What do you see in me?"

Part of my response: 

I imagine there's some aching part of you that desperately wants to know what anyone would see that's worth loving, that's worth caring about-- especially when it probably feels as though so many others are content to just let you float on by.  And if you're so easily forgotten and neglected by people, why would the God of this universe want to give you the time of day?  He's probably got more important things, more important people to care about, to love.   

I identify with you.
I get wrapped up in me, unable to accept that people just LOVE me... because I have to know their reasons and their reasons have to make sense.  They can't simply love me just because... because that's stupid, that's a cop-out... they can only love me if I have something to offer or something to give them in return. 

I then thought about listing different reasons of why she is loveable to appease her human heart... but decided against it.  Because, I think, this is ultimately the question that we're asking the Lord. We desperately want to know why in the world God would love us--especially when we run, when we hide, when we build up walls so He can't get in, when we betray Him, when we put other things before Him.

I feel like I encounter a lot of people who struggle to accept that God loves them. It's one of those things that exists in the chasm between our head and our hearts. I've been wondering lately if the reason we struggle to accept it is because we fail to understand it. 

If it's so hard for us to believe other people love us without understanding why, how can we expect to believe that a perfect God loves us without understanding why? 

And so I hear myself asking the Lord, "Why?  Why do you love me? What on earth do I have to give you? What have I ever done for you...? All I am is selfish and broken and needy and there's nothing worth loving.".... and I hear Him say, "...because, child, I do"  

It's this FACT and I can't run far enough from it, and I can't hide well enough from it, and I can't build up a wall tall enough to avoid it... 

He just LOVES us. Not for any other reason other than He does.  

When you jump into scripture I can't think of any place where Jesus says, "I love you because..." or where it says "God loves all people because...."  .... because there is no good reason.  He just does.

So the question I have for you is now... will you stop analyzing, will you stop pushing and running...and accept that He just does...?

Will you accept that sometimes people just do, too? 

Will you allow the fact you are truly loved, not because of anything you did or didn't do, to radically change your life instead of doubting, instead of resisting, instead of fearing? 

What a difference it would make... 

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