I remember those early days of dating. Your heart flutters with feelings and butterflies. You care deeply about the person, and you wonder if they feel the same way about you. You spend time together, flirt, and show affection, but all of those things don’t answer your deepest question. Deep down inside, you wonder if the person you pine for truly loves you. You might even ask (perhaps a bit sappy), “Do you love me? Do you really love me?” We all want to know that we are truly seen and appreciated for who we are, not the highly curated version we show others, but our genuine, complete selves.
This is partly our own doing. We hide pieces of ourselves so that we are more “liked” or at least tolerated. Over time, we end up with versions of ourselves that we hardly recognize. This isn’t a new problem; humanity has always hidden its “true” self. It is rare to see glimpses of someone’s full personality; what we see is often carefully prepared or even disguised. Parts of ourselves are shrouded or concealed to project the version we want others to see. So, when we fall in love, we long to know that the other person loves us for who we truly are, not just our surface presentation.
Not surprisingly, God’s Word speaks to this often. God, who is all-knowing, desires that we present our untainted, authentic selves to Him.
2 Chronicles 16:9 “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.”
It is no wonder that the Shema and the Greatest Commandment are rooted in this reality.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Matthew 22:37-38 “And [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.
We may try to present a carefully prepared version of ourselves for others to see, but God knows what is truly in our hearts. God knows if our hearts are “fully committed to Him.” We can’t hide it, fake it, or avoid the question. Scripture also repeatedly tells us that God loves us infinitely more than we can imagine; He is the embodiment of faithful love. Therefore, we must examine our own hearts: is your heart fully committed to Him?
God has fully revealed Himself to us, at least as much as we can possibly comprehend an infinite being whose ways are far above our own. He has demonstrated His deep and abounding love. There is no question about who God is or what He desires.
With people, the answer to this question is often simple: when you love someone, you gravitate toward them. You seek them out. You want to spend time with them. This is exactly what God desires from us—to draw near to Him, to seek Him, to spend time with Him. We should apply these same dynamics to our relationship with God. After you examine your life, hopefully you’ll be able to answer the question: “Do you really love Him?”