Looking for love in the wrong places and in too many faces

 This morning I felt like I was in a raw and vulnerable place.  As I was praying for someone that I deeply care about and am concerned for, I recognized a weakness in me that I saw in them.  It brought up old pain and mistakes that I made because of my lack of understanding of unconditional love.

Everyone wants to be loved and accepted.  Sometimes though, we use the wrong methods or look in the wrong places for love and acceptance.  Most of my life, starting at childhood, I have struggled to feel loved and accepted. I tried so hard in many ways to get the acceptance of  the people around me. I believe a lot of that came from the brokenness of my home, but some of it just came from the brokenness of life. 

We come into this imperfect world as  imperfect people, looking for love as children,  through adulthood.  Some of us have better relationships with our parents and family members and that can give us a greater since of security, while others have broken family relationships that can leave us insecure and doubting our worth.  Either way there is still a deep need to be unconditionally loved in each of us. Even the people I have met that had a wonderful home life, still have a deep need to be loved unconditionally.

I tried seeking love and acceptance by being good, smart, beautiful, funny, etc...but still I felt insecure  and some of the people that I thought I were close to me, rejected me. I can't be all that I think someone wants me to be.  I need to be the person that God created me to be.

Thankfully I have found a more satisfying love in my relationship with my husband, my children, close family, and in my friends, but there is still a hunger in my soul.

I have come to realize that just as my love is imperfect and can never satisfy a person's need, no matter how hard I try; no other human being can satisfy my need for unconditional love.  There is only one person who can love me unconditionally and take away my insecurities and that is Jesus. His is the face that you can look into and see unconditional love.

Maybe this seems like a trite answer, but it's not!  Even my best relationships are in connection with those who have His love in their hearts.  And my best love for others is when I allow the Holy Spirit's love to touch my heart and flow through me to love my family, friends and others.

I am growing in love for others and believing that I am loved unconditionally by God. I am his child adopted into his family through my Lord and God, Christ Jesus!  My prayer is that you grow close to the Lord this year and realize His unconditional love for you.  May God's love work in your heart and give hope to people that need to know His love too.