November 14, 2022
Melissa Valerio
A couple of weeks ago I went on a weekend retreat with about 25 other women from local churches around my area. I hadn’t ever done something like this before, so I enlisted my best friend, Stephanie, to go with me.
Oh, what a treat! I met women I had never met before that attend the very same church I attend! And I met women that attended other local churches. It was a weekend full of laughing, crying, healing, and some much-needed relationship building.
In one of our small group sessions, we all came to realize that each of us felt like we were God’s favorite child. I already knew I was His favorite of all favorites, but to hear that the others thought the same of themselves was interesting. Very interesting. The 5 of us just gushed about how the Lord was loving on us like we’ve never been loved on before. No one else on this Earth can love us as deeply and completely as Jesus does. And as we told our stories and let our walls down, we could see bits and pieces of ourselves in each of us. We saw into the pain, we saw into the trials, we saw into the betrayals. Yet through it all, we heard stories of how God took that brokenness and flooded His love into those very raw and tender areas, filling in the gaps and holes that were left by wounds inflicted by other people, or sadly, even by ourselves. It’s amazing to see women just like me have a deep love for the Lord, just like me. I’m in awe that God can make ME feel like I’m the only woman in the world that has captured His heart. And yet each of my group partners felt the very same way about themselves! How does He do that?
All I can say is, it’s an all-consuming Love. It has the uncanny ability to penetrate our hearts and minds to the point that we feel incomplete without Him. He becomes so much a part of us that we can’t think, move, or breathe without thinking about Him. But what’s more is that He returns that same obsession on us. It’s as though we can’t think, move, or breathe without Him watching us and loving us and covering us.
How does He do that? How does He make each of us feel so individually prized? Isaiah 43:4 says “You are of great worth in My eyes. You are honored and I love you. I will give other men in your place. I will trade other people for your life.” (NLV) What???? Wait, you mean God would exchange other people just to have me? Doesn’t that seem kind of harsh?? So, I asked Him “Lord, I thought you loved everyone. Why would you give some people up and keep others?” He said to me “I do love everyone, but not everyone loves Me back. So those that won’t love Me can go. I want you.” Sniff sniff. Okay.
How else does He do that? Well, Zephaniah 3:17 says “For the Lord your God is living among you. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (NLT) What a beautiful picture of God singing over us and delighting in us. Just like a dad delighting in his daughter or a husband delighting in his wife. Looking at us with adoration. Love swelling in His heart. That’s the stuff that makes you feel warm inside! That’s His love!
And again, in Jeremiah 31:3 “Long ago the Lord said to Israel: I have loved you with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself.” (NLT) Did you get that? An EVERLASTING love! Which means that because God is outside of time, He has been loving us since before time began, and will love us for all eternity! He’s been constantly drawing our hearts to Him since before we were conceived.
And of course His most loving act of all time was His willingness to send His son, Jesus, to die in our place. So that we could be restored and made right with God our Father. How can you deny a love so pure and complete as that??
Maybe that’s why we feel so enamored by Him. So completely, perfectly, wholly loved. You, and me, and her, and him, and everyone else that belongs to Jesus. That’s how He can make us feel so special and set apart from everyone else. So I decided it’s ok if the other 4 girls are His favorite. Because I am too!! And guess what? If Christ is your Lord, then YOU are His favorite too!
Prayer: Lord God, You are amazing in the way You love each of us individually. To make each of us feel so adored and precious. You pour so much attention on us! Help us to take that love and pour it on others so they can experience the richness of Your love. Give them a taste of You through us, that they may see that You are good. We love You back. In your precious Son’s name, Amen.
Action: Think about a time you felt unloved. Now say this, and keep saying it every day, week, month, year until you believe it:
Lord Jesus, You told Matthew that You would be with him, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). I know Your promise wasn’t for him alone, but for all of those who believe in You, so that includes me. Because You are always with me, Love is always with me (1 John 4:16). Help me to KNOW that despite how I feel sometimes, I really and truly am loved. Help me to BELIEVE that Love walks with me now and until the end of the age.