It is not difficult to recognize a Van Gogh painting when we know his works.
Dashed paintwork in warm blue and yellow tones. You may not have known that work until that moment or not know so much about art, but intuitively you will know who the author was.
In our knowledge of God it is the same way. When we know who God is and what He does, we don’t make the mistake of attributing all the works of the world to Him, but we know well what has to do with His character. God is not like a human being, who can vary in his emotions and attitudes, which can be good at one time and bad in another. When we know Him, we know that all His works have the marks of love and goodness.
Fearing God is wise, but being afraid of God is not. If we don’t know God’s character, we can never have a healthy relationship with Him. And there is nothing God wants more than to have a deep, intimate relationship with human beings. This privilege is not for some people, but for everyone who wants to.
The more we know God, the less we are afraid of what surrounds us, because we know we are secure in His love for us. He is not a Father who has a little love to give us, but He is the love itself. He is the only one who can define what true love is. There is nothing that can rob us the certainty that we are loved by Him and that He will never leave us, no matter how much our feelings try to say otherwise. He promised us that he would be with us forever.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
God wants us to know His works and who He is. He is the kind of author who never tried to hide, but always showed who he was. He proved it sending His Son Jesus to Earth so that we could perfectly know his character (Hebrews 1:1-2). Even after Christ ascended to heaven, He left us a guide, who leads us in all that the Author of Life is and does.
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” Hebrews 1:1-2
“(…) Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.(…)” John 14:9
“But when that Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak of himself, but will say all that he has heard, and will tell you what is to come.” John 16:13
If you still have difficulty understanding God’s love, read about all that Christ did while He was on Earth and you will see the same characteristics. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the character of God. I’m sure the more this understanding floods your heart, less space anxiety and depression will have in your life. They will need to give way to the assurance of being children of a God who loves us and spares no effort out of love for us.
May these very striking traces of God be the traces with which we trace the work of art that is your life. May we let God mark us with His love to the point that we mark those around us in the same way. That when looking at our works, people can recognize that our features are like those of our Father, where love and kindness flow.
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8
With love, Raiane.