Love Changes Everything By Micah BerteauSample

Day Two

Love Is Chasing You

When I was seven years old, my parents took my sister and me to a Six Flags amusement park. Soon after we arrived I started begging my dad for my favorite treat on the planet: ice cream. My dad kept telling me that we needed to eat “real food” first.

As I looked around I saw a beautiful ice cream stand. So I got in line. When I reached the front of the line, the ice cream lady looked at me and asked, “Where are your parents?” 

Then it set in: I had no clue where my family was. I walked away from the stand and found a security guard. He grabbed my hand and took me to a lost and found room. 

As I sat on the couch in that room, waiting for my parents, it began to sink in. I had done what my dad told me not to do. I thought through every punishment I might receive once I was reunited with my parents. Would I be disowned? Would I be yelled at for my disobedience? Would I be in time-out for the rest of my life? 

Then I looked outside and I saw my parents running toward the room. My dad led the way. I prepared myself for the worst. 

My dad burst through the door and ran straight to me. To my shock, he grabbed me and squeezed me tightly. With tears streaming down his face, he said something that has always stuck with me. Dad said, “Son, I missed you. I love you. Never leave me again.”

That day, I saw my dad differently. What’s more, I viewed God differently. I cannot earn or lose God’s love. His love will chase me down at my worst and love me in my dirt. When I received that picture, I lived from love not for love. 

Right where you are, you are loved. Whatever you did last night, you are loved. God loves you just as you are, and he loves you way too much to keep you that way. When you get a glimpse of real love, it will change you from the inside out. This love will change how you think. This love will change how you live. This love will change how you see yourself. This love changes everything. 

How does knowing you are loved change the way you view yourself? Why?