Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me. – Psalm 27:10

Have you ever had someone leave your life over a misunderstanding or a difference of opinion, or even worse, just a relationship that ended badly?

For a lot of people, that’s a family member that did that. For others, it’s the friend who swore to be your “ride or die.” Maybe it’s someone you were loyal to over and over and over again, only to find out that the only loyalty in the relationship was yours. But to be disowned or abandoned by your parents at any age has to be the worst possible feeling.

This verse, on its face, is hardly comforting. As humans, we’re convinced (even when we know better) that this is all there is. So what if God doesn’t forsake me but my parents did, right? Because God isn’t going to hug you when you’re heartbroken. He isn’t going to cook your favorite homemade macaroni and cheese when you go home on the holidays. That’s the stuff we let our inner monologue think about, even when it’s a lie.

But what’s important here is that God DOES NOT CHANGE. Even when the sin is ours, when the world rejects us. Even when the people who are closest walk out and treat us like we’re not worthy of love, the God of the Universe is there. He loves you more than you can even think abuot loving. More than you have ever loved anything in your life, and parents, I hear that having kids is a pretty intense feeling.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son… That is how much He loves us. Even if you were the only person ever born, and the world flashed into being for one second in which time you managed to pop off a sin before the world ended, He would still have made the sacrifice.

It may feel fake to read that. That’s because God’s love IS hard to believe. His constant protection and love and cover over us is more than our brains can process.

Remember that when you read the Bible, you’re looking at God’s love letter to us, and it’s even bigger than that. Every sunrise and sunset is an individual painting He has created specifically for you. Every flower, every tree, every cute puppy that catches your eye. It’s all God’s love for you.

Here’s the challenge for most of us: Let Him love you. Once you’ve learned to accept God’s great forgiveness, the rest of the worldly pain makes a lot more sense.

We’re here for just a moment, but eternity awaits. All of this is a dream. Heaven is what’s real. ❤️