Feb 20th, 2023: Being Separated from God

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" - Romans 8: 35 37

Little kids usually don't like being separated from their parents. They tend to cry and fuss when their parents go out and leave them with babysitters. The separation causes anxiety and insecurity. In their minds, they don't understand that their parents will be back. As soon as the parents are out of sight, they don't exist.

What would separate us from the love of God?

Our unrighteous love for the self: Loving oneself is healthy when we learn to appreciate our blessings and talents. Loving oneself can also impact our understanding of God when the self takes the place of God. Self-absorption and selfishness are detrimental to our interaction with God.

Our fear that God has forgotten us: Some people have to live with that thought because of the hardship and turmoil they endure. Sometimes we might wonder if God suffers from memory loss and forget all about us. Nothing seems to go well. We feel as if God has abandoned us.

Our vulnerability in feeling exposed: None of us likes being naked. We are afraid of being in that condition. We prefer the idea of being in control. When we don't have that, we experience mental and emotional nakedness.

Who benefits from such a fear? Who would like to throw our lives into a tizzy so he can have more access to our minds and our hearts? We might want to pay attention to the voice of the Lover and not the Liar.