There was a time in my life when I struggled with the concept of love. Not because I had a bad upbringing but because there was a gaping hole in my life caused by a root of rejection. And the thing about any root is that it attracts fruit of the same nature, causing the root to grow deeper and stronger. In my case, it meant that I attracted rejection wherever I went. Ultimately, it led to self-hatred and suicidal thoughts.
At age seventeen, I became a Christian, and a dear mentor showed me this scripture: And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18-19).
Isn’t it interesting that Paul prayed for us to be rooted in Jesus’ love? No other root is meant to be part of our lives, for anything other than His love controls and destroys. By looking back at the way God created the world, we see that His original intent was for us to live in His love; it was human sin that removed us from this perfection. Thank God that, in His love, He made a way for us to return to Him and to abide in His love forever.
It took a loooong time for me to grasp the extent of Jesus’ love – I had to seriously renew my mind! It’s a journey, so these things are not immediate – the important thing is to start somewhere. But now, over twenty years later, I can say that the chains of rejection that held me bound have been broken … and the root removed! I’m not perfect, but I know a Savior who is!
Scripture: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39.
