Feeling unloved can be traumatizing for adults and even more so for children. Something about being loved makes us feel secure in who we are. A child that grows up feeling unconditional love often repeats the same type of love for their children. It also makes it easier for someone to connect to the Lord when they have experienced a parent’s love.
In contrast, when we grow up feeling unloved, we often blame ourselves and feel unworthy of love. Growing up feeling unloved can leave scars that will carry into adulthood, but the Lord, in His mercy, can bring healing to your inner being as you lay your burden before Him.
In our story, Jacob loved Joseph more than his brothers, creating an unhealthy dynamic. Genesis 37:3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day, Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him. [1]
Remember God Loves You!
You may be experiencing not being loved by your family or spouse, but this is not true of God, who created you and placed you in this world. 1 John 4:9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. [2] God’s word often tells us how much the Lord loves us because the Lord knows how much it hurts when we don’t feel loved. Think how it hurts the Lord when he sees people hurting because they don’t feel loved.
The Lord Loves You Personally
The God who created everything in the entire universe is all-powerful and all-knowing, loves you personally, and wants to have a relationship with you. It is good to meditate about how much the Lord loves us. The Lord cares about you and wants to be involved in every aspect of your life. He still loves you even if you have spent your life running away from Him and committed sins you regret. The Bible is awash of those who ran from God, yet the Lord did not give up on them and pursued them with unfailing love.
Unlike people, God’s love for us is unconditional and more fantastic than any person could love. 1 John 3:1See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.[3] When we place our faith in Jesus and begin our relationship with him, we don’t become God’s friend but His child. God enjoys you and wants the best for you. He desires to pour out His love upon you.
To hear how God loves you, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/refining-josephs-dreams
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.