You Are Liked

You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:14-15

“WHAT ARE YOU doing tomorrow morning while our kids are at preschool? . . . Target run?!”

I remember the first time I made it to Target with no kids in tow after becoming a mom; I felt like an Olympian. I had finally done it. Gold medals all around. A piece of normalcy from my previous life had returned for an hour. Praise.

You only ask your dearest friends to make a Target run with you. You need someone who loves what you love and is willing to burn an entire hour looking at the latest pillows. You know that friend. She’s the one you call over on Friday nights to wear sweats and chill. You just like being with her.

So here’s the thing. How God feels about us often gets lost in translation. Maybe we’ve seen “God loves you” on one too many bumper stickers, and it just isn’t sticking. Perhaps the words seem overused and trite. Or maybe they feel like a message to everyone so they’re a message to no one, like a mass email. We’ve heard God loves us. But have we heard God likes us?

Jesus said He no longer calls us servants, but friends. And like any friend, He genuinely wants to be near you. God likes what He made. He wants to spend Friday night with you, laughing with and listening to you.

Let that settle in for a minute.

The God of the universe who can hold the oceans in one palm and the mountains in the other, who placed the stars in the sky and set the world in motion, likes you. When you allow this truth to sink into your soul and bolster your confidence, this is grace at its finest.

Jesus did daily life with His disciples. And daily life with friends means enjoying meals, telling tales and laughing, sharing fears and joys, and walking through pain and grief together. Had there been a Target, He and His friends would have made a few runs; I’m sure of it. Because it’s not about the shopping; it’s about being with others. He didn’t just love others with a lofty, inaccessible love. He liked them with an affectionate, kindred love.

Girl, God’s grace not only means He loves you, but He likes you. He finds you wonderful. He made the grandest gesture ever by putting on skin and moving into the neighborhood just to be with you.

GRACE REFLECTION: Pray with me, “God thank You that You not only love me. You like me. Remind me of this truth. Let it sink into my soul so I always come close to You, bringing my fun and fears to You. Amen.”