JOURNEY TO JESUS

God's Unrequitted Love for You

I, in turn will wait for you. Hosea 3:3

I have been binging lately on Japanese Drama. Thankfully through God's grace I have been able to conquer it. What I liked about J-drama apart from k-drama is that there are stories which have light genres and involved main lead actors who have melancholic unrequited love towards the female heroines. I realized I have been longing for a person who would care, pampered me and were obsessed over me. Sadly, even our romantic partners can be depleted and even wants that this may also manifest from us. Only God though can nourish what our souls truly crave. It is only He who loves us with such intense but gentle unrequited passion.

An unrequited love by the psychology definition is any desire for someone who could not reciprocate our feelings. God has always loved us from the very beginning but we always gone astray and loved idols that caused us to self-destruct. However, God being the faithful lover that he is, even though we can't return His love, will always be there to save us. Our life's journey is to discover how God has always been courting us and winning us over again and again. A lover that will always wait for us...

You are the apple of my eyes. Deuteronomy 32:10

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

I have called you by your name and bestow on you a title of honor though you knew me not...it is I who strengthen you, though you knew me not. Isaiah 45:4,5

Egypt is one of the wealthiest and successful cities in the ancient world. Imagine God who creates this nation Egypt, which was his favorite nation will give it up for you, whom he loves. God who prefers you more than any precious oceans, nations, galaxies He have created. When God declares his love for you, it is as if there are no other humans who exist. It's as if the universe revolves only around you.

I give Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in return for you. Isaiah 43:3

Since you are precious and glorious in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life (Isaiah 43:4 NIV).

Even though we fail him again and again He always forgive us and give us a way out over and over. His love endures forever. 

"How could I give you up? My heart is overwhelmed. My pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger. For I am a God and not a man. Hosea 11:8,9 

To validate ourselves we often go to other people. We dress up nicely or we pleased other people or get entangled unto parasitic relationship. But if we give other people or circumstances the power to define our self-worth, we will also give them power to take that away from us when they left. 

God is saying that the most important relationship you will ever have is your relationship with yourself. Take for instance, if someone else praise you, you don't believe them because you knew there was a motive. "Oh, you're so beautiful today. You look nice in that dress...Can you help me with this?"  But if it's you who encourage yourself you'll realize that you believe it more, because there's no motive and you affirm to what is already the truth. 

Tell yourself today:

I'm attractive enough, kind enough, worthy of love, unique in an extraordinary way...

I'm proud of myself for what I've gone through, and there's no one who can do what I can do. 

Do this everyday, then you will find the magic within. This is what I learned, even when you are serving in the ministry, take care of yourself because loving other people doesn't make you any less of a person. You also matter as Jesus said, "Love your neighbors as you love yourself." God also tells you how precious you are to Him: 

I will betrothed you to me forever. Hosea 2:21

I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

You are beautiful, my beloved. Your eyes are like doves. Songs 4:1

True love happens when you don't need anything to love yourself. You don't need to buy new shoes, or clothes, or get a perfect partner or to land in a higher-paying job or get thousands of followers in social media to feel accomplished and loved. These things could follow but they are not anchor to your identity or self-worth. You don't give other people or things permission to make you feel bad about yourself. This is what true love means and surprisingly, it doesn't comes from a romantic partner. 

The Bible is actually the most beautiful love story that I've read so far. It toppled down stories of Romeo and Juliet, Edward and Bella, and Harry and Ginny. He even outshine Lee Min Ho's charm or Kim Soo Hyun's. It is only God who can keep his promises of forever and ikaw lang (Only you).

Above all powers, above all kings

Above all nature and all created things

Above all wisdom and all the ways of man

You were here before the world began

You lived to die

Rejected and alone

Like a rose trampled on the ground

You took the fall

And thought of me

Above all

(Above All by Michael Smith)