When Did You Feel That God Loves You?

It was the first day of my Life Growth class in church, right after the morning Worship Service.   I was facing a new set of “students” who would learn with me “Experiencing the Heart of Jesus,” based on Max Lucado's discussion guide, for the next six months.  

Yuppies, aged 21 to 30.

The old set of "students" in the last six months comprised of men and women, with ages ranging from 45 to 65 (my generation), whose experiences and thoughts are similar to mine. 

Facing yuppies is a challenge—it has been sometime since I belonged to this demographics.

I begin by asking a poser, to unsettle them a little, and make them reflect on their young, unscarred lives: “When did you feel that God loves you?”

They raise their eyes up to the ceiling.

My personal opinion on the matter had been the same as those from my first class. God's love for His children can never be questioned.  But knowing and feeling are two different things.

I felt God's love during two extreme occasions: 1) When I was in crisis or in deep pain.  God came to the rescue, dulled the ache or deleted it altogether.  Then he opened my mind to a fresh perspective and steeled my resolve to move on; 2) When something wonderful happened, like a wished-for award or bonus, or a sudden answer to a prayer of long-standing.  I felt as though God gave me a present!

I call on Nikki.  Having seen her grow up, I know that she has had no "major, major" struggle in her life.  Things always seem to come easy for her.  Seeing her Sunday after Sunday, I have the impression that she has been cosseted and insulated from any form of danger, including insect bite. 

Her answer stings me.

“I am so blessed to have Christian parents who have nurtured me in the ways of the Lord from the day I was born.  They are there whenever I need them.  Through grade school, high school, college, and now in graduate school—in all the decisions I have had to make—they have guided me.  I recently got a job and have put up a small business of my own.  They are there, too, supporting me all the way.  Through my parents, I feel that God loves me.  So when did I feel that God loves me?  Every day.”

In her short narration, she reveals that contrary to my perception, she is deeply grateful for and keenly aware of her blessings. 

She gives this same testimony in the Worship Service the next Sunday.  She begins by tearfully saying,  “The first question Tita Grace asked us in our Life Growth Class was, 'When did you feel that God loves you?'"

Then Nikki went on to say exactly the same answer she gave in our class.  But at the pulpit, in front of the whole congregation and her parents, she almost choked with emotion.  She felt every single word, making us feel the beat of her heart. 

This girl, only 22,  taught me to tune in to God's love not only on extreme occasions, but on all the in-betweens—those placid days when nothing seems to happen, and those hushed nights when sleep doesn't come. God's love comes through people, places, things, and circumstances.

And if we can't take time to feel it,  we miss on the persistence and continuum of grace.

From Nikki I learned to be sensitive to, and feel, God's love every single day.     

May you all feel God's love today.  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!