God's Everlasting Love

A few days ago we met someone on his front porch and started talking about our Savior with him. We testified of God's eternal love for all of us and this man stopped us mid-sentence.

"God loves us? What does that even mean? What is his love?"

That is an excellent question. Happily we testified of how he cares about our worries and wants us to be happy. That he is ready and willing to bless us as we are obedient to his commandments. We left him a copy of the Book of Mormon and with high hopes that someday soon, he too will see and recognize God's pure and unique love for him.

As we left, his question stayed with me. What does it mean, God loves us? Experiences from the past and present came to my mind. I know that God does love me, and I can tell you why. These may not seem very big, but to me they mean the world.

One day I was struggling to stay positive. My mind was stuck in a sinkhole of negativity and I couldn't get out of it - nor did I have the desire to get out of it. My companion and I at the time were on our way home for a little dinner when I looked up at the sky. Right there, more brilliant than any picture, movie, or song, was a glorious sunset. Vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows dipped and ducked around the clouds. With every passing minute the clouds would shift and the sun would set even lower, casting new colors on the sky above.

Instantly the day was made bright. I could continue forward with a positive hope that everything would turn out alright.

There was another day that I lost my camera. Nothing abnormal about that, I have a bad habit of losing things of worth, but this camera wasn't mine. It was lent to me by a family I knew. I was heartbroken at the loss. It was a simple thing, just a camera, but I prayed to my Father in Heaven, asking if he would help me recover it. He had helped me in the past, and I had faith that he could help me find it at that point.

A memory came to my mind. I walked into the church building and up to the stand where we had been singing songs the day before. Lo and behold, the camera was there. I am so grateful to know that God hears and answers our prayers.

There have been other times as well. Daily random instances remind me of God's love. From the flight of a bird above my head, to the peace that comes during my prayers, he is always sending me little messages of love. Often times, he helps us through other people, and I can't number how many people have played that part in my life that lifts me up when my hands hang down and encourage me when I think of giving up. These people are angels from God, and are witnesses to his love for me.

With Christmas in the recent past, think about the gifts that you have given; the gifts you have received. Is that a smile on your face? You know how to give good gifts because you love the people around you. They in turn love you back. Our Heavenly Father is the same way, except perfected. Every day he gives us gifts because of his love for us. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" 3 Nephi 14:11

Christ shows us how much Heavenly Father loves us.

God sent his son to die for us in the greatest act of love

this world has ever seen.

I know that there is a loving, caring, Heavenly Father. He knows all about our worries, our pains, and our joys. He is there for us every moment of every day. He knows exactly what we need and has the power to give us all. They won't always be big signs that say "I LOVE YOU", but if you learn how to listen and pay attention to the wonders around you, it'll add up to the overwhelming knowledge that there is someone who is watching out for you and loves you.

I know that he does love you. I know that he does care about the difficulties that you are currently facing. I know that you are very special in his eyes. Ask him yourself. He is always listening, and is ever ready to respond. I know that as you look for him, he will show himself to you in exactly the way you need.