Amanda grew up learning hard work alongside her peaceful family. Kindness and responsibility were firmly embedded in her character. But words of affirmation and hugs were not part of her family’s love language.
As Amanda entered adulthood, insecurities left her vulnerable to insincere words and physical affection. It wasn’t long before she found herself enmeshed in a relationship surrounding her with rejection.
Her physical health began to deteriorate as fear, stress and anxious thoughts replaced hope and love. Headaches and gastro-intestinal problems became frequent visitors to her physical body along with upper respiratory infections.
A close friend suggested Amanda read “Experiencing God” to combat the negativity enveloping her thoughts and damaging her health. Amanda read the book. Yes, God’s love was powerfully demonstrated through the cross of Jesus for Amanda’s eternal security. But also experiencing daily love and freedom through Jesus’ sacrifice was an extraordinary new thought. Her hunger for this love grew and she began studying the Bible.
She awakened to the realization she didn’t really love herself, didn’t really know God’s love and needed to forgive a lot of people. These life-giving principles were changing her thinking.
Allowing God to occupy more space in her hungry-for-love emotions, gave her the necessary confidence and courage to remove herself from harmful relationships.
Her thoughts, immersed in God’s love, generated healing chemical endorphins giving her body healthier function. Eventually, colds, headaches and gastro-intestinal problems seldom visited her body.
When Amanda surrendered to experiencing the fullness of God’s love, her focus shifted from fragile emotions to dependence on God’s rock like love and acceptance. She forgave herself for foolish choices, boldly began pleasing God instead of people and forgave those who treated her badly.
Amanda allowed suffering to take her to the cross of Jesus and then past the cross to experience God’s comfort, healing and freedom, all rooted in his love for her.
Is your present suffering offering you this pathway to know God’s great love for you?
Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. ……. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day – our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life – fear of death, fear of judgment – is one not yet fully formed in love. We, though, are going to love… First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? (The Message Bible 1 John 4:15-20)