A friend asked the question, "How do you know God loves you?" She meant me in particular and not just "the world." I thought about it for a while. I know God loves me because he was willing to sacrifice his son for a little while so that someday I can join him in Heaven. But he did that for everyone, and so long ago, that it didn't seem like the personal answer I needed. Then I thought about all of the blessings of my life. There are blessings from the beginning of my life...being in a family that loved me and took good care of me, fed me well, provided great experiences, and taught me about God. As I got older I had wonderful friends, did well in school, was basically successful. I found a fabulous husband and we enjoyed our time together as a young couple, even through the financial struggles. More recently, I have been supremely blessed to have two boys that I adore, a great place to live, friends that are blessings to me, and my marriage still blossoms. I have never gone hungry or unhoused, no one has ever beaten me. My experiences and opportunities are still amazing. But all of that didn't seem to be why I know God loves me. There are many people in the world who are not blessed with such a life. Hunger, homelessness, and hatred are not signs of the absence of God's love. So how do I know God loves ME? I started thinking about Love Languages, a concept about how people express their love. My "love language" is time. I know you love me when you spend time with me, when you make me a priority. I don't so much care about presents- a difficult thing for my husband who enjoys gifting me- but spend some time with me and I know I am high on your list. And there was my answer! God loves me because he spends time with me. He talks to me, he directs me, he holds me, he listens to me. We have a close relationship. So, although I see God's love in his sacrifice on the cross, and I appreciate his loving gifts that bless me daily, I know he loves me because he didn't stop at the cross, and he doesn't just "pay me off" to get rid of me. God wants to be with me. He loves me.