Unrequited Love
I have blotted out your transgression like a cloud and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you. - Isaiah 44:22
The notion of unrequited love stings us all. I remember my first crush in middles school. I passed her a note in class: I like you; do you like me? Yes, No, Maybe. Man, I was so proud for putting myself out there. I figured that I would at least know something after I sent that note, but that was not the outcome. She did not respond at all. I got nothing back. It was devastating. I rationalized that I might have just embarrassed her or maybe she was caught off guard by my chivalrous act. Ultimately, I had to deal with the truth and the embarrassment: she did not like me. It crushed me, I listened to many sappy songs over the next few weeks by REO Speedwagon, Chicago, Bryan Adams, and Richard Marx to soothe my broken heart.
Of course, some version of that situation happens to all of us. We all feel the sting of rejection in dating and in friendship. We learn that we care more for a person than they care for us. Our loyalty and devotion are not returned. That always hurts.
What strikes me about that passage in Isaiah listed above is the level to which God reaches out to Israel and they do not respond in kind. God is devoted to Israel, and they show no devotion to Him. We come to this truth that I think we believe but struggle to grasp: God loves us more than we love Him.
Yes, duh, of course. But when you think about the depth of true love, we could also say, “God is more loyal to us than we are Him.” We should think about the things we are loyal to: a football team, a hobby, a business, or anything else. All these things will eventually let you down because they are not loyal to you, they simply encourage you to be loyal to them. There is even a business term which encourages “brand loyalty.” God does the exact opposite. He loves first, He is loyal first, and He longs for us to come home to Him.
What are you most loyal to? Why are you loyal to that? Have you considered that God is more loyal to you than you are to Him? How does that make you feel? How should we respond to His loyalty?
return to me, for I have redeemed you. - Isaiah 44:22
The notion of unrequited love stings us all. I remember my first crush in middles school. I passed her a note in class: I like you; do you like me? Yes, No, Maybe. Man, I was so proud for putting myself out there. I figured that I would at least know something after I sent that note, but that was not the outcome. She did not respond at all. I got nothing back. It was devastating. I rationalized that I might have just embarrassed her or maybe she was caught off guard by my chivalrous act. Ultimately, I had to deal with the truth and the embarrassment: she did not like me. It crushed me, I listened to many sappy songs over the next few weeks by REO Speedwagon, Chicago, Bryan Adams, and Richard Marx to soothe my broken heart.
Of course, some version of that situation happens to all of us. We all feel the sting of rejection in dating and in friendship. We learn that we care more for a person than they care for us. Our loyalty and devotion are not returned. That always hurts.
What strikes me about that passage in Isaiah listed above is the level to which God reaches out to Israel and they do not respond in kind. God is devoted to Israel, and they show no devotion to Him. We come to this truth that I think we believe but struggle to grasp: God loves us more than we love Him.
Yes, duh, of course. But when you think about the depth of true love, we could also say, “God is more loyal to us than we are Him.” We should think about the things we are loyal to: a football team, a hobby, a business, or anything else. All these things will eventually let you down because they are not loyal to you, they simply encourage you to be loyal to them. There is even a business term which encourages “brand loyalty.” God does the exact opposite. He loves first, He is loyal first, and He longs for us to come home to Him.
What are you most loyal to? Why are you loyal to that? Have you considered that God is more loyal to you than you are to Him? How does that make you feel? How should we respond to His loyalty?
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