Day 30: God’s Love Draws Us In
Jeremiah 31:3
Our “pandemic pet” was a brown baby bunny. My daughter, Kelsey, carried tiny Floppy everywhere for weeks. Even after the bunny was fully grown and exiled to the backyard, the instant that someone left a door open, he would hop upstairs and hide under Kelsey’s bed. We never found Floppy under my son’s bed (in the same room) or in any other dark cubby-hole. Kelsey alone was Floppy’s safe space. Last year, when we lost Floppy, she was devastated. No new bunny could replace that special bond in her heart.
In The Other Half of Church, Jim Wilder describes this type of strong connection using the Hebrew word hesed, translated in the verse above as unfailing kindness. Jim explains that strong, deep, joy-filled attachments provide the same powerful chemical reaction in the thalamus of our brain as addictive drugs. Once an attachment forms between a mother and infant, for example, no one else can ever replace that bond. However, as we grow and mature, we can form new attachments—for example, when a new child joins the family.
Our Father longs to form a secure attachment with us reminiscent of the way that Kelsey bonded with Floppy. God draws us into a safe space with his hesed: all-encompassing, all-consuming, worth-more-than-life-itself love. How can we become fully, unconditionally attached to Him in a way that lights up our thalamus? How can we expand our network of secure attachments with other people, drawing upon God’s compelling love at the core?
Reflection Prayer
Heavenly Father, we are so easily entertained and distracted, satisfied with short-term dopamine hits that leave us anxious and empty at the end of the day. We long for meaningful connection and peace. What is preventing us from forming a secure attachment to You? We will be silent now and listen.
Draw us with Your everlasting hesed love and unfailing kindness. Satisfy our core longing for attachment. From the overflow of Your love, may we reflect a deep, abiding joy towards one another. In You alone will we find our safe space and peaceful refuge. Amen.
Week 5: The Love of God
The Beatles famously said, “All you need is love.” The reality is that this statement is truer than most realize, but our understanding of love is limited—it is often dependent and conditional. That is not the love that people need; instead, we need true love.
God’s love displayed in Scripture and experienced in our lives goes beyond the love we know and experience on a daily basis. 1 John 4:16 says, “God is love.” Love is who He is; it is His character. He came to this earth to display this perfect love, to show Himself, and to provide an opportunity for all of us to experience what we long for—love.
Consider Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
“All we need is love,” and the good news is that love is given to us in Jesus Christ.
— Jim Sappia