For the girl who feels unworthy this Valentine’s Day.
Author: Tanner Reuss, Team Member
Luke 15:1-7
Do you ever feel unworthy of love? Is Valentine’s Day a little hard to stomach?
If you answered yes to any of these questions — you’re not alone, friend. Believe it or not, all of us, as women have felt these emotions or very similar emotions at one point or another. Before I met my husband, I used to long for the kind of love we see in romantic comedies and the books I read in college. I think for a lot of us that kind of grand, effortless, mind-blowing love is what we desire. I spent many years feeling like this, thinking that I would never find that kind of love because it wasn’t meant for me; that I was unworthy of it. I know now, as an adult, that was far from true. I was only looking in the wrong place. God is aching to give us the big, grand, love that we are desiring. He placed that desire within us because we are meant to be so deeply connected to Him. Wherever your heart is this Valentine’s day; longing, waiting, stuck in feelings of fear or unworthiness or even — content and filled with joy, I want to remind you of some simple biblical truths about the nature of how deeply God loves us and how that love will never leave us.
In Luke chapter 15 we are met with the parable of the lost sheep. It’s one most of us know well, yet, the simple truth of it holds so much weight. If you’ve felt unseen, unworthy, or like you don’t belong; this story is for you. The story goes like this — a shepherd has 100 sheep and one of them goes missing. Instead of staying with the herd, he leaves them, searching for the missing sheep relentlessly; rejoicing and carrying it home when he finds it, reuniting it with its family. This story is about SO much more than sheep. It’s about the efforts God is willing to go for his children. For you, for me, for all of us. All of this remains true when you feel unworthy, when you feel like your sin has separated you from Him, when you believe you’re not worth saving, and even when you feel stuck in fear, doubt, and shame. Regardless of where we are, He remains the same and so does His love for us. There are four key principles of God’s love that I believe this parable shows us. I hope they are an encouragement to you.
His love calls the worthless worthy
Regardless of where we are or how we feel, He says we are worth it.
His love chases us down (leaving the 99 to rescue the one)
He doesn’t get angry when we go astray, He doesn’t tell us that we aren’t worth it, and He doesn’t wait for us to come back — instead, he searches for us relentlessly.
His love is compassionate
You might think “i’m too messed up” or “i’ve failed too many times.” But, to God, we are never too anything. He will always relentlessly pursue us.
His love is redemptive, keeping no record of wrong
When He finds us, He’s happy to see us and welcome us back into the family. He’s not accusatory or angry. He is just happy we are home.
Regardless of how you are feeling this year — our prayer is that you are able to lean into the arms of Jesus and hold fast to the principles of his love that the parable of the lost sheep teaches us. He loves you friend and despite what the world tells us, we don’t need chocolate or flowers, we just need Him.