Do you know that God loves you?  Do you ever wonder WHY He loves you?  If you think that He loves you because you keep His commandments, think again.

I have to say that I’ve got some pretty cute kiddos.  I mean, babies and toddlers are just cute no matter what, but mine have all been especially adorable, haha.

When my youngest was 1 or 2 years old, I asked him a question, which I playfully asked him again just the other day.  As I was smothering my toddler’s cheeks with kisses, I asked out loud “Why do I love you so much?”

I asked myself if I love him because he’s so cute and fun.

Or if it is because he has such kissable cheeks and an adorable giggle?

I certainly DO love those things about him.

But they are not WHY I love him.

Then, do I love him because he is such a little sweetie and he tells me that he loves me and will sometimes give me a kiss?  As much as I love these moments, they are not what drive my love for him.

Because even if he were not so sweet or cute or fun, and even if his giggle wasn’t adorable and he didn’t have kissable cheeks….. I would still love him.

Why?

Why do I love him?

Because he’s mine.

When I first came to that conscious thought years ago, it seemed like it wasn’t a good enough reason to love someone.  It appeared to be too simple of a reason –like love has to be complicated or something, haha.

I felt like there should be a REASON why I love him, like a big reason, perhaps something ABOUT him that I loved.  But all the things I could think of that I love about him are just additional things I love, they are not the reason for my love.

Love is that simple.

He is mine.

And because of that, I love him unconditionally.

Of course when he’s acting sweet, it is much more pleasurable to be around him than when he’s throwing a fit.  And when he tells me he loves me, I seem to want to give him the whole world!

The joy that I feel as a mother comes and goes with the temperament of my child.  Because, yeah… I don’t feel a lot of joy when I’m prying him away from a screen while he’s kicking and screaming.  But the presence of joy is not the definition of love.

Love is patient.  Love is kind.

While *I* may not be the most patient person all the time, my love for my children is patient.  My love will hold true no matter how my children are acting.  My love will stay constant as I frustratingly wait for my sweet lovey to calm down.

My children’s actions have zero to do with how much I love them.

I simply love them because they are mine.

(And I know those soft cheeks won’t last forever, which is why I kiss them every chance I get!)

If I, as a human being, have the capacity to love someone so dearly, just for the mere sake that they are “mine”, how much greater could the God of the whole universe have the ability to love you -no matter how you look or act- simply because you are His?

I know He loves you.

I know He loves you unconditionally.

When my toddler disobeys me, even though I love him all the same, I definitely don’t give him treats and extra privileges for that.  I believe it’s the same with God –ya hear what I’m sayin’? 

God has eternal laws that must be kept.  Whether we keep those laws does not affect His love for us, but it does mean that justice will be kept, and mercy given where appropriate because of the Atonement.

In other words, you can know that God will always love you no matter what you do or don’t do.  And if you love Him and want to reside in His presence eternally, you might find yourself wanting to obey Him.  But this is not a post about being obedient.  It’s a post about love.

God loves you!

The more you love God, the more you will naturally want to draw closer to Him.  It makes sense that “to love God” is the 1st and great commandment because following Him happens naturally after that.

I have taught my toddler some super cute responses to certain things I say.

When I ask, “How much do I love you?”

He spreads his arms wide as he says, “Soooooooooooo much!”

And then I follow that with, “Why do I love you?”

And, he, in his not-yet-articulated speech, replies, “Be-tuz I’m oh’s” (because I’m yours).

I want him to know that he does not have to earn my love, nor does he have to ever wonder or worry about losing my love.  You can bet I’m also teaching him and my other children this same concept about God’s love.

And I want you to know and understand this in the depths of your soul.

You matter to Heavenly Father.  Jesus Christ knows you.  They see you and desire you to feel their love.

You are individually special to God.

I hope you can feel that.

In what ways have you felt God’s love?  Please share in the comments.

I hope you feel His love this week, along with mine, 

Empowering you to embrace your agency and liberate yourself through conscious choice!

For more thoughts on this, click here to read “Is God’s Love Unconditional?”

Did you know that you must love yourself before you can fully receive God’s love?