Live Like You’re Loved

An old story about a woman who lived on an island in the Pacific illustrates what it means to live like you’re loved. Serita, described by all her neighbors as plain, even homely, walked with shoulders slumped and head bowed. She rarely looked anyone in the eye, seldom laughed in public.

One day a man named Johnny came to ask for Serita’s hand in marriage and offered eight cows for the privilege of marrying her. The girl’s father sat stunned—no one on the island had ever offered more than five or six cows as a bride price. He immediately accepted the offer before Johnny could change his mind.

Everyone on the island thought Johnny had gone mad. Who would be foolish enough to pay eight cows for a wife—let alone a plain one like Serita? After the wedding, Johnny took Serita back to his home on a neighboring island. The people on Serita’s island continued to laugh at Johnny’s madness, but no longer saw the newlyweds.

Transformed by Love

One day a visitor who had heard of the story of the eight-cow wife came to Johnny’s home. Johnny invited him in and as they talked a lovely, graceful woman passed through the room. The visitor thought he had never seen such a beautiful woman. He asked Johnny, “Who was that?”

“That is my wife, Serita.”

Seeing the surprise on his visitor’s face, Johnny explained that on her home island, Serita felt she had no value. But since Johnny paid the eight-cow price, she now knew she was worth more than any other woman on the islands. And that realization changed her from the inside out.

When We Live Like We’re Loved We are Changed

At times, we too, feel like Serita. We feel insignificant in the eyes of the world. We consider ourselves homely and plain, inferior and worthless. We start to believe the lies of Satan, that no one could ever love us. We accept the world’s judgment that we don’t matter.

But everything changes when we realize that Jesus paid the highest price possible for us. It’s true we were nothing much to talk about when He found us. We were stained by sin, stooped over by shame and He could have walked right by us. But instead, Jesus chose us. He paid more than eight cows. Christ paid the exorbitant price of His own life to redeem us and make us His own. His salvation uncovers our beauty. Pondering God’s immense love for you will help you live transformed.

Practices That Help Us Live Loved

One way you can live transformed by God’s love is by incorporating daily practices that immerse you in that love. To help you do that, I’ve created an ebook, LIVE LOVED: 5 Practices to Fully Experience God’s Relentless Love. Inside you’ll find five simple things you can to remind yourself that God loves you, pursues you, and desires to have an intimate relationship with you. And you can get this book for FREE.

Here’s a sample:

Practice Number 3: Live Loved by scheduling time to listen to songs of God’s love for you.

When to Use: When you’re stressed or overwhelmed.

Focus Scripture: Psalm 136
The book of Psalms is the songbook of the Bible and Psalm 136 must have been written by someone who needed a reminder of God’s relentless love. Twenty-six times the refrain repeats, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Perhaps the psalm was sung in a call and response fashion. The leader sang, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good” (v.1) or “To him who alone does great wonders” (v. 4) and the congregation always answered, “For His steadfast love endures forever.”

Music has a way of touching our hearts in a different way than mere spoken words. When we find ourselves overwhelmed and distracted with little time for God, little breaks in our day to listen to a song of God’s
relentless love can refresh our souls and rekindle our relationship with Jesus.

Description of Practice:
Finding songs or hymns that speak of God’s passionate love with help you to live loved. Some suggestions: “Unfailing Love” by Chris Tomlin, “You Say” by Lauren Daigle, “Love Came Down” by Kari Jobe, “Live Like You’re Loved” by Hawk Nelson. Or if you prefer hymns: “Love Divine, All Love Excelling,” “What Wondrous Love is This,” “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus,” “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.” Find these and other songs of God’s unfailing love on my YouTube playlist.

Now, schedule time to listen to these reassurances of God’s love. Set a timer or alarm to go off at certain times of your day and take a break to listen to one song. Close your eyes and use the music to draw your heart to
God. Let the words and tune soothe your overwhelmed heart

How to Get the FREE Book, LIVE LOVED

If you’d like more practices that will remind you of God’s relentless love, simply sign up in the box below. Not only will you receive a message with the link to my ebook, LIVE LOVED: 5 Practices to Fully Experience God’s Relentless Love, but you will also get monthly encouragement from me in my Soul Rest newsletter.