When I re-read this journal entry from more than twenty years ago, it encouraged me anew. And words with that much staying power must be shared with other believers!
I recorded the following thoughts after realizing I was less than thankful for my family and my non-Christian upbringing. Perhaps you can relate in some way, as well.
. . . There was a subconscious thought that I would have been so much better off if I had been raised in a Christian home. Today, God made it clear that He wouldn’t have loved me any more this day even if I had been a Christian and truly seeking Him all my life. He loves me, and there are no degrees of His love. He does love me. Had I been a Christian with a Christian upbringing, really desiring that walk with and growing in Him from the beginning, He would still have loved me exactly the same today. On top of that, life wouldn’t be easier. I’d just be going through different experiences in which to trust Him.
Reading this all these years later only brings it home so much more vividly. God can’t help it. He loves me. It’s not based on how many years I’ve known Him, or how I was raised. And His love for me doesn’t grow. His love for me is. Period. It’s the same for you. May this truth become even more real for you each coming day.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. 1 John 4:16 NIV
To Make Christ Known 