If Anyone Loves You

People think thoughtfulness proves love. That tenderness or sweet words prove love. That's silly, thoughtfulness can be faked just as easily as kind words and "I love you"s. Love is proven through sacrifice; through suffering. You can say whatever you want and not mean it. You can even be thoughtful toward your enemy and still hate them in your heart. Suffering, and suffering long, is the only way to prove love. After all, why else would you 'chose' to suffer for someone, unless you loved them? You suffer through their failings, the times when they hurt you on purpose, their own thoughtlessness and selfishness, taking the consequences of their mistakes on yourself. That's how you know someone love's you. Now go look at everyone you know, who loves you? Your parents for one, and ultimately God. Look at what He's done for you. Suffered for you when He knew you would sin and become His enemy, was forsaken and separated from the Father even though you won't separate yourself from the world to be loved by Him who loves you perfectly. He abandoned His splendor, His throne, His perfection, to come to dirt, and poverty, to become your sins. He sacrificed His life so you could have Heaven, perfection, eternal life, true love, wholeness, holiness, even when He knew all the times you would fail Him, over and over again. If anyone loves you, it's God.