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Longing To Be Loved?

To be loved is undeniably one of the deepest longings of the human heart. We are drawn to movies, books, photos, advertisements, personal stories, and songs that invite us to experience some aspect of love. We tear as we hear of a significant love that’s lost, and cheer when love is recovered, or a new love is discovered. Love stirs the human heart in life-giving ways.

I don’t know what you’ve experienced regarding your longing to be loved, but chances are that you’ve experienced both delight and deep disappointment, hope and hurt. You may feel skeptical regarding love, or question if you will ever experience authentically being loved. Knowing that each of us longs to be loved, I want to share 3 important realities with you that I hope will strengthen, soften, and stir your heart.

First, I want you to know that you are loved, and lovable. This statement may feel difficult to believe based on your life experiences. But it is indeed a true statement. God loves you very, very much. Jeremiah 31:3 states, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Furthermore, God loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth so that you could experience a personal love relationship with God that will transform your life and secure your eternal destiny (John 3:16). You are loved so deeply by God that He wants you to be with Him forever!

Secondly, God can restore broken hearts (Psalm 149). Each of us longs to be loved personally through the experiences of loving relationships with others; to be authentically cared about is a heartfelt hope. Regretfully, as we journey through life we will experience hurt and rejection; leaving us inclined to ‘wall off’ our hearts. Ezekiel 36:26 states that God takes hearts of stone and replaces them with a tendered heart. He wants our hearts to be loving, thus He heals them when we invite Him to tend to hurt and hardness that has taken root (Psalm 51:10). If this is the condition of your heart, ask God to do a new thing in your heart (Isaiah 43).

Thirdly, it’s important to remember that those around us long to be loved as well. God invites us to be a living love letter. How? By reaching into the lives of others with His love. 2 Corinthians 3:3 states that we are a letter from Christ; written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. As we draw near to God and embrace His love, He tenderly works through us to love others. John 13:34 states, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

I hope that you will wholeheartedly embrace that you are deeply loved by God and that He wants to heal and fill your heart with His love. As well, consider inviting God to love others through you (1 Corinthians 13). As we look outside of ourselves and reach out to others, God’s love works in us and through us; satisfying as only He can our heartfelt longings to be authentically, unconditionally, and unbelievably loved!

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3