God loves me, but does He like me?
I’ll never forget the first time I heard this question.
It’s a raw and vulnerable question that gets at the deepest part of our being.
The narrative around the question goes like this…
“Sure, conceptually, I understand that God loves me. He sort of has to... you know, John 3:16 and all. But, does he like me?”
This question came from one of our very first participants on The One Year Journey. He grew up in the church and knew all the right things to believe in his head. But, something wasn’t connecting in his heart. There was something between him and God; a false narrative and a lie that he had bought in to. As a result, he had felt distant from God for years.
Maybe you can resonate with that lie. Sometimes it sounds like this:
“I just need to do better.”
Or, “I’ll always keep struggling and so God only tolerates me.”
In this question, ‘does God like me?’, lies a deeper longing. It’s the longing that a child has to be loved for who he/she is by their Father; it’s the desire to be seen and known and accepted.
I wonder, how many of us are walking around each day with the belief that God loves us out of some obligation He has towards the human race but, at the end of the day, doesn’t actually like us all that much?
I know I did.
As this young man shared his experience of letting Jesus untangle this false narrative, he put words to something that I didn’t even know I believed.
My version of that lie was that “God loves me, but I’ll never be able to stop _______, so he can’t possibly like me.”
As you can imagine, a lie like this runs through the soul like a river and seeps deep into soil of the heart. It informs what we do, how we treat people, and what we believe about God.
And, when we live out of a lie, it always has negative consequences.
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Take three deep breaths.
Inhale fully. Exhale fully.
Invite God into this moment.
Ask him to silence the noise and distractions.
Then, when you are settled, ask God two questions:
What do I believe about how you view me?
What is in the way of receiving your love and approval?
Now, be quiet. Resist the urge to speak.
Just be still and listen.
The best part of this story is what happened next.
After my new friend shared the question with us, he let it hang in the air for a moment. Then, a small smile began to appear on his face. It was like he discovered a secret that he wanted to let us in on.
With a chuckle, he says, “You know, when I was out in the woods listening to God, I started asking Him what he wanted me to know about this question. After I got settled, He whispered, ‘Son, I just like spending time with you.’ How about that? The God of the universe wants to spend time with me?! He must really like me.”
That moment is something I’ll never forget. God brought healing to his heart by whispering just the exact thing He needed to hear.
And, in the process, he discovered a truth that we all need to hear today; a truth that will heal our hearts and help us stop striving for the love and attention that we so desperately desire.
Sure, God loves us.
But, he really likes us too.
Friend, you are the beloved of God. May you set aside time this week to be still and listen for His voice.
Tim
