A visiting pastor at our church shared what he gave his wife for her 60th birthday — a list of sixty reasons why he loves her. He said it was all she wanted. Our congregation gave a collective “awww.”

He didn’t share the details. But it’s likely each line described her unique attributes and the reasons for his undying love.

The list was his goal but she was his inspiration. I imagine he paused a time or two as he thought about their lives together. He said by the time he finished, he could have written more (insert another “awww” here).

As his story concluded, I wanted a list of my own. But my want felt risky.  

I know my husband loves me. But some days, his capacity to show it is crowded by my shortcomings or stifled by his own.

We spend most of our days cherishing our commitment while overlooking our struggles. But there is a list already made for me and for him.

And yes, there’s one for you too.

God loves us, not because of anything we’ve done to win His heart. He loves us because He is Love. (1 John 4:8) He chose to make us the object of His affection. 

However, His love may feel foreign, if we see it through the lens of what others put on their reasons-why-they-love-us list or what they wished they could add.

But God is love whether I’m faith-filled or if I fail to see Him moving on my behalf.

He is love whether I give all I have to those in need or if I need constant reassurance.

He is love whether I grow in His grace or if I only show the many reasons why I need His grace in Christ.

As we love God, the reasons and the way He loves us begins to shape our lives. And yet, the reality of His love is needed in every soul.  

O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. – Psalms 139:1 

How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.- Psalm 36:4

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 

He sees each of us through a unique lens of not only who we are but who we can become. He sees our wounds and wants to heal them. He sees our fears and has already conquered them. He sees our sins and died for each one, once and for all.

And God loves us because whether we’re broken or at our best, we are His.

The visiting pastor’s list for his wife may have contained these truths. My request for a list from my husband remains undone. Instead, I’m making one for him.

Because there may or may not be someone willing to draft a list of why we’re lovable. But there is a God who loves us more than we can comprehend. I pray you sense His heart today until you’re saturated in His love. It gives us endless reasons to have hope for the heart and joy to the soul.

*All Scriptures are in the New Living Translation (NLT)