From the Desk of Cheryl Hauer
Love is an enigma. You know, one of those mysterious things that somehow, we can’t define, or even understand really, even if we have experienced it. How do we define the feeling that a new mother has the first time she holds that precious little human in her arms? Or the courageous action of a father who surrenders his own life to protect the lives of his wife and daughters? Or even that sense of connectedness a person feels when they look into the eyes of the one that will be their partner for a lifetime?
It’s a mystery that mankind has been trying to unravel since love arrived on the scene. Unfortunately, they haven’t been very successful. Today, the world tells us that love is an emotion, an intense feeling of affection or fondness, a sense of deep romance, or sexual attraction, or attachment. We are told we can fall into it while just as easily, we can fall out of it, which can often leave people pretty confused. It is devoid of commitment and often based solely on sexual attraction.
But if you’re a Bible believer, you know that real love far surpasses human emotion. It actually originated with the God of the universe. According to 1 John 4:19, the only reason we can love at all is because God loved us first. The word itself appears nearly 500 times in the Scriptures, depending on your translation, but the concept is everywhere. The Book of Psalms alone is filled with references to God’s passionate love for His people. And conversely, Matthew, Mark, Luke, Jesus, and Moses all agree that the greatest of all the commandments is for us to love Him back with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.
When God speaks of His love for humanity or for His creation, He most often uses the Hebrew word, Ahava, which comes from a root which means, to give. But when He speaks of His love for His chosen people - Jews and Christians alike - He uses the word, chesed. That’s because the word, chesed, is a covenant word, implying the heartfelt desire (and obligation) on the part of the stronger member of the covenant to shower the weaker with grace and protection.
Chesed is translated mercy, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, loyalty, and stead-fast love. And it is indeed all of those things … all at once. That’s why He can tell us it doesn’t matter how we feel or what our circumstances are, if the earth is shaking and the mountains are moving into the sea. Or how confused we might be or what we may have done. Nothing … let me repeat that … nothing can separate us from His extravagant, loyal love.
So, whenever you’re having a bad day or a tough time, when anxiety is knocking on your door, or the enemy is overwhelming you with condemnation, try this:
Just sit back and close your eyes for a moment. Now, imagine God loving you with all of His heart, His soul, His mind, and His strength. Wow. And not because you’ve earned it, not because you're good enough. But because He knows you're not. That, my friends, is the real deal.
Blessings and Shalom,
Issachar Community