One morning this past week I was driving home from work and I felt just drained. Almost on the verge of tears I pulled to a stop at a long stop light. As I sat there I felt that delightful stirring in my spirit that has become a constant presence these last few months. It was as if God was hugging my heart and He was giving me the biggest smile He possibly could. In that moment I felt this sense that I was cherished. As someone who has struggled to accept love from others this has been one of the most precious revelations in my walk with the Lord, and when I came to realize this it totally overhauled my response to life and relationships around me.
It reminded me of something Brennan Manning had said in his book "Abba's Child" about how it's very easy for us to undervalue God's love because God loves everyone by default; but His love gains value in our own eyes when we realize that when God says "I love you" He is also saying "I like you." There's something about someone telling you "I like you" that completely changes your whole perspective on yourself.
I can remember how delightful it was to be told by a new friend "I like you," or even when my counselor said it to me one time. It made me feel valued, and it carried with it a sense that I was cherished by someone. Sometimes you can just tell that someone cherishes you by the way they look at you with such tenderness and delight. That sense of being cherished removes a weight of performance that we all carry on our shoulders. That sense of being cherished tells you that with this person you are free and invited (even desired) to be the real you with them. It also gives you the freedom and challenge to turn inward toward yourself and cherish the you that you were made to be.
If it can be so wonderful when an imperfect human treats you as cherished, then it must be beyond wonderful when our perfect heavenly Father treats us as cherished. And that's what it was like in that moment, and has been like the last few months. In a moment where there were real things to be afraid of, when the weight of situations weighed heavy on my shoulders, when I continued to make mistakes, when I was just absolutely exhausted and haven't been able to have communion with God very well in the midst of all of this. God hugged my heart and overwhelmed me with a sense of being cherished. And as I sat at that light I did cry - I cried because I couldn't stop laughing in delight as I leaned into that hug and realized once again that I do trust my Savior and can continue to relinquish control to Him. Joy and peace washed over me in that moment as "cherished" was branded onto my heart.
Have you ever felt cherished by God? Have you ever considered that when God says "I love you" He is also saying "I like you", "I enjoy you", "I adore you"? I dare you to consider it. I dare you to believe it. Because I didn't find freedom and joy in my own life until I came to understand and believe that God liked me, cherished me. And I couldn't accept love from others until I understood this as well. If you've ever felt cherished by someone in your life then you know what that feels like, how wonderful it is to know someone takes delight and pleasure in being with you. It's the very same thing with God except his cherishing is beyond anything any human can express. So I dare you today to imagine what it would be like to be cherished by God and maybe just maybe allow yourself to believe it too.
Jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you, with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness."
Psalms 147: 11 "The Lord's delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love."
I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel,
who summons you by name.
Isaiah 45:3
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