He Loves Me….that’s all. - by Kristine Lancette

I was in my early twenties, I think. For whatever reason, my periods were really messed up. Because I was bleeding so much, I was permitted to take my home school coordinating job ‘home’ to Georgia and was released from my year long position in Illinois. While home, I seemed to get worse. I was lethargic most of the time, weepy, and often incapable of thinking straight. It was at this time that I was asked to go on a mission’s trip of which I wanted so much to be a part. My health, however, stood in the way. I decided to go to the elders of my church. Wanting to do it “right”, I thought I’d better confess everything I could since the Scripture, as I interpreted them, said “confess your faults that ye may be healed”. And so I did. Three days after I was anointed with oil and prayed for by the elders, the bleeding stopped, and I was as regular as clockwork.
Although I gave credit to the Lord for this healing, a little bit of my heart patted myself on the back for my faith and obedience in confessing and going to the elders. It made an impression on me when one day thereafter my dad asked, “Do you know why the Lord healed you? Do you know why the Lord even has you here?” I replied, “Because He wants me to be a good missionary and win souls?” “No”, he said, “it’s because He loves you – that’s all.”
I asked my dad the other day if he remembered telling me that. He didn’t, but I certainly do! And those words still ring through my being today.
There’s a verse – “that you may be able to comprehend the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of His love.” I’m not very good with geometry, but drawing out those dimensions gives me the Cross – a symbol of no greater love.
Abraham was walking up the side of a mountain with his son, his only son, Isaac. I have a son. His eyes, his goodness, the memories we’ve made together - to lead the way to his death would break my heart more than anything - ANYthing- I could imagine. As if God was taunting Abraham he said, “I want you to take your son”…..and if that wasn’t enough….. “your ONLY son”…..”and offer him as a sacrifice”. God wasn’t taunting Abraham. He was seeing His only son, Jesus, in Isaac. Before the world began, God the Father and Jesus were One. Isaac, carrying the wood on his back? That was Jesus carrying the Cross. Finally the words were uttered (and you can only imagine with what emotion on God’s part) - “God will provide Himself a Lamb”.
More than Jesus, God loved us.  If you want to know just how much God loves you, look at how much He loved Jesus, then realize He gave him up for you.
When the rays of that kind of love penetrate your heart here and there, you’re changed. You love now because you’ve been loved. If there is ever something unchanged, it’s just a part of you that hasn’t comprehended that love. That’s how it is for everyone. That love is relentless.  It will seek to overtake you there too. It finds no rest until He has pursued and wrapped His arms around you there as well.
My prayers. My days. My perspective. Instead of ‘me’ changing me, I’m finding myself becoming, as God said, an actual NEW creation. My faith, my responses, my goodness – it’s not dependent on me. Those are all me-focused. The love of God, the Cross – those are Jesus-focused. Nothing in life ever really and truly changes unless the focus is Jesus.
The other day, feeling so caged in with the winter blahs, I asked my Father for sunshine. I did so just because I knew He loved me – and that’s all. That morning it was snowing. The clouds were a thick blanket of gray and white without the tiniest patch of blue. By afternoon, though, there was a little blue. By three, the clouds had burned away. By four, people were walking around in short sleeves here in Helena, Montana. The sun was burning bright. I walked out of Wal-mart to a sun blazing in front of me. Maybe a small thing to everyone else, but to me, “I love you” was blaring from the skies. I smiled with tears brimming. “Father, thank you for loving me – for no reason other than you just do. I love you.”
Today. This week. This month. In fact, take the rest of your life. Don’t try to do things to love the Lord. Rather, let Him love you. The biggest mistake we ever make is trying to grasp and filter his unconditional love through conditional minds and hearts. We think we owe him. Love, especially His love, expects nothing in return – can you believe it? When you see that, Christ’s love springs up in us without any effort. We begin to love our husbands and kids without expectation like He loves us. There’s grace to cover much because we’ve known grace. Our homes became a haven of joy for everyone senses that the main thing is “God loves me – that’s all”.

Blessings to you all!
Kristine