I found myself at the kitchen sink last night, finally giving in and doing the dishes that had been staring at me all night long.
Music always makes cleaning more exciting, but in breaking out itunes for a little inspiration, I never expected it might break me. Not in a bad way, but more in the “I think God just punched me in the gut” kind of way. If it hadn’t been for that “revelation” earlier in the day the one about fake imperfection and living in God’s dreams for us rather than the expectations of the world (yea, this one) I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought. itunes confirmed that I had heard the song before, but as these words came out of the computer, I think they bypassed my ears and went straight to my heart:
What if you lived like you were loved?
What if you did all the things Your heart’s dreaming of?
What if you sang your song at the top of your lungs?
What if you lived…
Like you were loved?
It struck me… that’s all I’ve been called to do:
To live loved.
And yet, I complicate each day with so many other things. The question never was, never is, and never will be, “What if I were loved?” Because WE ARE LOVED.
Yet, we make it the question as we compare ourselves to others…”What if I were like her? then would I be loved?”
We make it the question when we seek approval, we long to be noticed, “What if I wear this outfit or do my hair that way? Then would I be loved?”
We make it the question when we long for more, “What if I got that new toy or what if I made a little more money? Maybe THEN I’d feel loved.”
And we forget that WE ARE LOVED! In forgetting that, we struggle to live out the dreams God has for us, we struggle to sing the unique song he’s created our lives to sing.
Dream for a minute, just what might life look like if we truly lived loved?
What kind of chances would you be taking?
What sort of difference could you make?
Would you let go of the secrets that you’ve been keeping,
If love was your shield and strength?
…
What are you waiting for?
There’ll never be, never be a better time.
No one could love you more than He who gave His life
Join me today in answering these questions. In the comments below, in conversations with your family and friends, in your journal… wherever… answer the questions and then ask God to give you grace to understand YOU ARE LOVED and strength to live like it!
What if you lived like you were loved?
What if you did all the things Your heart’s dreaming of?
What if you sang your song at the top of your lungs?
What if you lived…
Like you were loved?
joyfullyblessedblog.com 
When I read the words of that song, I think of romantic love, and living as if I’m in it – but I am. God’s love, then, is something so much greater – so much more incomprehendable and good.
Yes! It’s all kinds of love! We so often forget that we are loved… by God, but also by people. I think we forget we’re loved by God because sometimes in this sinful world it’s hard to see the love other people have for us. For example, I was just reading a book about a Christian girl who ended up getting pregnant while in college. She was SOOO afraid to tell her parents so she was going to get an abortion. Through circumstances only God could make happen the parents found out and were able to show up and show her the love. Afterward she basically said, “How could I think that my parents wouldn’t still love me? It seems crazy now that I ever thought that… they’re my parents, of course they love me!” But in that moment, all she could imagine was rejection, judgment, and the pain she would cause them so she ran away from the love they were trying to show her.
What if we lived like we were loved?