I remember when I met my husband, Brody. I was smitten from the beginning. He was all I could think about. When we started dating, I was willing to give up free time, or time with just about anyone else, to be with him. I was willing to sacrifice sleep if it meant staying up late to talk to him. My friends even dubbed my countenance when I talked about him my “Brody smile” as it seemed even my smile was different when it came to him. Once, I called his mom and got her recipe for his favorite home-cooked meal, which was a big deal as I wasn’t one to cook a full meal, but I was willing to move out of my comfort zone to impress him. I vividly remember telling my then-roommate that I wanted to marry Brody (and I vividly remember the high-pitched “Eeeee!” and cheers that followed that proclamation). And while that was “back then”, we are now 25 years into marriage and I am still in love with Brody Hildebrand.

I so enjoy thinking back on those early years of us together and charting the actions that let us know we were dealing with a new type of relationship. A new feeling. Better yet, a new way to live. Living in love.

Love defies logic and practicality. As a matter of fact, we can spot someone who is “in love” by witnessing them do things out of their normal routine and tendencies. Suddenly, it’s no problem to go above and beyond for the person they love. Time, money, resources – honey, take it all. I did a quick online search asking “How do people act when they are in love?” which yielded all kinds of answers, but here is a quick synopsis from across the web for behavior of someone in love: They want the best for the person they love; the person they love becomes a priority; the person in love thinks about the object of their affection almost constantly; a person in love wants to plan a future with the one they love; and a person in love is willing to sacrifice for their loved one.

Of course, my search inferred I was asking about romantic love (eros), but I don’t think the behaviors detailed in my search are too far off from the love God shows us, a love translated in the Hebrew word “khesed”. Khesed is a type of affection for someone, but it’s way more than affection – it’s a loyal commitment to be generous to that person in the long run. God uses this word to describe the kind of love He has for His children. We haven’t quite figured out how to translate khesed into English to grasp the full meaning of this kind of love. The most famous use of khesed is in Exodus 34:6 where God calls Himself “compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in khesed and faithfulness.”

Different translations have tried to interpret khesed with words like “steadfast love”, “goodness”,“kindness”, “loving kindness”, and just plain old “love”. So many attempts to capture the depth of this powerful Hebrew word and our English language comes up woefully insufficient.

This Christmas season, we are celebrating the unfathomable love God has for us. Every manger scene is the visual interpretation of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”

In the first chapter of Ephesians, we see God’s motive for sending Jesus (The Message translation):

“Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure He took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of His lavish gift-giving by the hand of His beloved Son…. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living.”

In just this one verse (and there is a whole entire Bible more of them), we see God doing the things that clearly tell us He loves us. If I may, He’s crazy about His children. He wants the best for us. He made us His priority. He not only thinks about us constantly, but He’s only ever thought of us from the beginning. He wants a future with us and made a way – the only way – for that to happen. And finally, yes, He has proven abundantly that He is willing to sacrifice for us. He sacrificed His Son in order to live forever with us.

Wow, does He love us. He planned our rescue from the beginning. He never wanted to be without us but gives us the choice to be with Him. He doesn’t bend or break us or make us choose Him, but He woos us to Himself with a love we can hardly fathom. The more I know Him, the more I want of Him.

A few weeks ago, I was listening to my favorite podcast, Wild at Heart, hosted by John Eldredge. In this particular podcast, Eldredge was interviewing another one of my favorites, Susie Larson. Larson challenged the podcast audience to spend 15 minutes a day meditating on the love God has for them (not their love for God). She suggested specifically ruminating on the fact that “Jesus sings over you, He loves you, and His heart beats for you.” Larson suggested doing this simple exercise for 30 days would form new neural pathways, and other physiological benefits not to mention what it would do for the heart and faith. She added, “His love makes the difference.”

So often, we boil our faith down to whether or not we are loving God enough. We believe the weight of the relationship is on us. However, we can only love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). This Christmas season, take moments and let yourself be loved by God. Stop hustling and bustling and just be loved. And know He’s absolutely crazy about you.

“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Dear Lord, thank You for sending Jesus to save us. You want us with You, and You made a way for us through the sacrifice of Jesus. You do not want one person to perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Lord, thank You for Your relentless pursuit of us. You are only good and we love You, too. Maranatha! Amen.