Does God love all His children equally, no matter what they do or do not do?  Have you ever wondered whether He has loved you more or less throughout your life, depending on the choices you’ve made?  Let’s dig in and see what the general authorities have to say about whether or not God’s love is unconditional. 

Coming from the viewpoint of a parent, I have spoken to a mother recently who has a child on the covenant path.  She also has a child that has taken her to hell and back with the choices they’ve made.  Which child do you think she loves more?

With the deepest, sweetest, and most tender-adoring love in her voice, she described to me her LOVE of the latter child.  Warm and gentle emotions flowed as she choked back tears when telling me she would do it all again because of her love of her dear child.

She loves both children the same.

In the parable of the prodigal son, the father never stopped loving his child.  He continued to love both of his children equally, even though they were both making very different choices, with one leaving the path his father would have liked him to choose.

This is NOT a post about the choices we make and the consequences they have on our earthly or eternal happiness.

This is a post on love.  This is a post on your worth.  This is a post on your eternal value.

You are loved, period.  No matter what you do, you are loved.

Your worth is infinite and eternal, period.  There is nothing that you could ever do to devalue your worth.

Like a 100-dolllar bill, if someone were to rip it up and toss it in the toilet, I would absolutely fish it out, wash if off and tape it back together.  It does not lose its worth just because it’s in pieces. 

But the 100-dollar bill is only worth $100.  It has a measureable cap on its worth.   Your worth is unmeasurable.

I know there are wealthy people who would not stick their hand in a toilet to retrieve a mere $100 because it’s just not worth it to them.

But what is a soul worth?  What does “infinite worth” mean?

It means that your worth goes on forever.  And it will never stop being of worth.

It means that there was someone who willingly suffered unimaginably for you.  It means that when …one… little lamb is all alone, He will find her… and hold her… and love her.  Not because she has met any requirements to be considered enough, but because He loves her to the same degree as He loves every… one… else.

The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.  And because I have come so close to Him, my heart is one with His!  Therefore, the worth of all souls is great in MY eyes too.

Just as there are some who would turn their nose up at the ripped up hundred dollar bill in the toilet, there are some who do not value your worth either.  Or mine.  And that’s ok.  Not everyone has to love and appreciate us.

God has declared your worth and value to be infinite to Him, and that really is all that matters.

I can tell you with a surety that I love you too!  I see you, feel you, and care about you. 

I have a deep love, and feel compassion and empathy for every person in the world.  (Yes, even hard core criminals.  When I imagine them as a little 2 year old, being brought up in whatever environment that would lead or invite them to do some horrible things as an adult, I have compassion on their soul and feel genuine love for those hurting parts of them.)

And if I, a human being, can have the capacity to feel such love for anyone and everyone, without even knowing them personally, how much more could the God of the universe –the very Creator of all people– love each individual person?

I tell you with the most sincere understanding and feeling in my bones that

God… loves… YOU!

Heavenly Father loves you.  Jesus Christ loves you.

And it doesn’t matter what you have or haven’t done.  They love you.

You are loved, period.

Know, understand, and feel that you are loved.

To say that you are loved no matter what you do or don’t do, would be the same as saying that you are loved unconditionally.

I fully understand that the word “unconditional” is tricky because of an article written in 2003, titled Divine Love by Elder Nelson.

But I’d like to point out that he is referring to the blessings associated with God’s love as being conditional.  He specifies that when he says, “Thanks to the Atonement, the gift of immortality is unconditional.  The greater gift of eternal life, however, is conditional.”

Heavenly Father is a God of unconditional love.  I know that, I have seen that, I have felt that.

This means that He LOVES you no matter what, not that He will send you all His blessings no matter what.

To quote D. Todd Christofferson: 

“Because God’s love is all-embracing, some speak of it as “unconditional,” and in their minds they may project that thought to mean that God’s blessings are “unconditional” and that salvation is “unconditional.” They are not. Some are wont to say, “The Savior loves me just as I am,” and that is certainly true. But He cannot take any of us into His kingdom just as we are, ‘for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence.’  Our sins must first be resolved.”

Bold emphasis added there.  But from the mouth of an apostle of God, he said that it is true that God loves you JUST as you are.

Elder Nelson basically says the same thing, for he clearly states:

“Does this mean the Lord does not love the sinner?  Of course not.  Divine love is infinite and universal.  The Savior loves both saints and sinners.”

His reasoning of why he is saying that God’s love is conditional is explained when he says “Understanding that divine love and blessings are not truly ‘unconditional’ can defend us against common fallacies such as…:  ‘Since God’s love is unconditional, He will love me regardless…’”

(Again, he scooped up “blessings” along with love, as ‘not truly unconditional’).

Do not think of God’s unconditional LOVE as a free pass to do whatever you want and expect happy results in the end.

Think of it more as a blanket of hope and comfort for wherever you are or may find yourself someday.

God’s unconditional love is what can lift you when you’re down.

Feeling His love envelope you when you have sinned, is the very thing that can lead you to repentance.

His love for you does not cease to exist, even if you have distanced yourself from Him, or if you cannot feel it for any other reason.

My mom served in the Relief Society presidency for the branch at the County Jail several years ago.  During that time, she testified countless times of the love that God has for those ladies.  She felt it and knew it. And she was given some of that Godly love as she served them.

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ truly love you.  They love all of their children equally and unconditionally.

I really love Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s description of God’s love:

“Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God’s love for you.

God does not look on the outward appearance.  I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten.  Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly.  Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.

He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love.  We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children.  He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.  God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.

What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us.  No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.”

Does that not just say it all??  To know of God’s love for us –no matter our current state! –can give us hope in any situation.

One of my deepest desires is that you will feel God’s love and keep it with you always.  It is the sweetest sensation to feel loved in general, and to magnify that feeling by an “infinite amount”… well, words hardly do it justice in describing the sweet feeling of God’s love.

The first time I felt it –like REALLY felt it, was during a challenging phase of life.  We were living with my parents while looking for a new house, and I was longing for that feeling you get when you know you’re “home”.

One day, I pulled into the Walmart parking lot.  As I was getting out of my car an elderly woman who had just finished putting groceries in her trunk, approached me and asked if I could move her car for her (the truck next to her had parked so close that she couldn’t open her door far enough to easily get in).

I happily did so, and wished her well on her way.  But she stopped me and asked if I believed in God.

I told her ‘yes’ then she proceeded to tell me that she had an appointment to go to, and would have either been late or missed it if I hadn’t shown up right then.  She bore testimony right there in the parking lot that Heavenly Father is watching out for all of us, and He uses US to help each other out. 

I was extremely touched by her words to the point of tears, and otherwise wouldn’t have thought anything of the event –I would have gone on with my day without even realizing that I had had the special privilege of being God’s hands.

It meant so much to me because I had actually been praying for Him to use me as His instrument.  And it all came together in that moment, in the Walmart parking lot of all places, that…… **He loves us**.

Every one of us. 

It’s nothing that I didn’t know before, but I felt it so strongly, and with such gratitude.  I also realized how much I love Him.

As I reflected on my feelings of love, I really just kept thinking of how grateful I am for …everything.  For Him actually answering my prayer and using me to help someone, for loving that woman enough to send help, and then for everything about my whole life, I was just filled with immense gratitude toward Him, I felt His love, and I loved Him. 

That day was when everything changed for me.

The day I truly, deeply, sincerely, and intently felt God’s love for me.  It is beyond sweet.

If you haven’t already felt it, I want to give it to you too, but I can’t.

I can only encourage you to pray and ask Him if He knows you, see’s you, and loves you.

Then hold that prayer in your heart and mind as you go about your days.  Keep your eyes open as experiences come your way because you never know how your prayer will be answered.

But I do know that a prayer like that will be answered.  And I do know that He loves you.

You can take a moment right now and say a little prayer either asking Him, or thanking Him for His love and presence in your life.

I testify of God’s love and goodness.

I love you.

Kayleen

SDG

If you liked this post, you might also like to read Jesus Will Make You Whole Again.

Something that has helped me feel worthy of receiving God’s love is this:  Stop Telling Yourself That You’re Enough.