God Feels What We Feel: Understanding His Love
God feels what we feel because He experiences emotions just as we do. For a long time, I viewed God as a strict authority figure—existing to tell us what to do and shame us for how badly we behaved. Many people in my life described God in a way that lacked empathy and warmth. However, as I read the Bible, I discovered that God is very relational and caring. There are many stories in the Bible where God expresses emotions like love, sadness, anger, and compassion. Through His love, He gives us guidance and rules meant to protect us and help us build better relationships with others.
A Misunderstood God
Unfortunately, we often ignore God’s guidance, which can lead us into trouble. For example, in the story of Judges 10, we see how quickly the Israelites turned away from God to follow their own desires. But what’s interesting is that God allowed them to make their own choices instead of stopping them, even when it led to hardship. The Bible tells us that God became so angry that he allowed them to be oppressed by their enemies. And when they faced those challenges, they returned to him for help. Imagine constantly allowing things to play out with your loved ones, only for them to regret their actions and listen?
Love Requires Freedom, Not Force
Many of us struggle with our relationship with God because we think that if he truly loved us, he would prevent us from making mistakes. However, God loves us so much that he gives us the freedom to choose. When our choices lead to pain, it hurts him too. God feels what we feel. As a therapist, I’ve noticed that healthy relationships—whether among couples, friends, or family—thrive on the freedom to make mistakes, love each other in our own unique ways, and express differences respectfully. But when we force love, it creates resentment and distance. Love can only thrive when we allow people the freedom to express it in their own way.
Reflecting on God’s Love in Our Choices
One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the ability to choose. He doesn’t do this to manipulate us. But lets us choose because he genuinely respects our decisions, even when they cause us—and him—pain. Take some time today to reflect on the situations in your life that have hurt or disappointed you. Think about how these experiences might affect God emotionally. Remember how deeply God loves you and how invested he is in your choices. Ask him to help you see his love more clearly, and pray for the wisdom to make decisions that show your love for him.
Today’s devotion inspired by // Judges 10
Reflect & Journal // Take some time today to reflect on the situations in your life that have hurt or disappointed you. If writing is helpful, list them. Then, think about how these experiences might affect God emotionally.