a love without contingencies

If there ever comes a time when you lack creativity, appreciation, and wonder, I find that heading straight to the edge of the ocean is a sure remedy.

Last weekend I listened to “Oceans” while gazing upon the ocean and I thanked God for giving us this beautiful abyss cloaked in blue, that we might begin to grasp with reaching fingers the vastness of His love and grace.

The remarkable thing is that while even the sea has its limits, His love cannot be contained in depths or distances.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  –Romans 8:38-39

If those verses don’t want to make you cry happy tears or shout for joy or sing His praises, then check your heart, dear reader. Because we need to understand the implications of this. Nothing can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus. Not our past failures or inadequacies or mistakes; not our moments of weakness or selfishness or bitterness; not our periods of doubt or misunderstanding or faithlessness.

This past week I fought with Kevin because of my selfishness and became jealous of a friend because of my pride, and I grew impatient with just about everyone I came across. That’s only from the past few days; I couldn’t even come close to airing out all of my sinfulness from my life if I tried. My life is messy and imperfect and completely flawed. That’s why these verses make my heart full of gratitude and joy…because none of these things can sever God’s love from me.

Jesus wants us no matter how weird or messed up we are. No matter how deep the hole we are in or how shattered and broken and bruised we may be, Jesus is there, willing to heal our wounds and cloak us in His saving grace and whisper, "You are so loved."

My sins and messiness are not irrelevant, but praise Jesus because His love is also not contingent. We need not hold on to guilt or unworthiness, because nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And that is amazing.