THE LOVE THAT HOLDS THE BROKEN, HEALS THE WOUNDED, AND REMINDS THE FORGOTTEN

 There are many things people chase in life — success, approval, purpose, peace, stability, belonging.

But underneath all of it, deeper than ambition, deeper than insecurity, deeper than fear itself, every human heart quietly asks the same question:

“Am I loved?”

Three words answer that question more powerfully than almost anything else in the world:

I love you.

They sound simple, but they carry the weight of heaven.
They are soft, but they heal wounds that have been bleeding for years.
They are short, but they reach the deepest places of the soul.

And yet…

These three words are also some of the most misunderstood, misused, and misinterpreted words on earth.
For some people, they spark joy; for others, they stir fear. For some, they bring comfort; for others, they reopen old wounds. For many, they feel foreign—almost unbelievable.

But today, I want to take those three words and break them wide open.
I want to show you their spiritual dimension.
I want to walk you through the emotional layers.
I want to speak to the parts of you that have been without them for far too long.
And most importantly, I want to show you how God Himself has been speaking these words over your life since the beginning of time.

Let’s slow down together.
Let’s breathe.
Let’s sit with this truth, long enough for your heart to feel it instead of just reading it.

This is your reminder, your reassurance, your comfort, and your invitation back into something holy:

You are loved.
Right now.
Exactly as you are.

And nothing in your story can cancel that truth.

PART I: THE LOVE THAT EXISTED BEFORE YOU DID

Before you ever felt unworthy…
Before you ever made a mistake…
Before anyone rejected you…
Before life scarred you…
Before fear shaped you…
Before insecurity clung to you…
Before the world convinced you to doubt your value…

God already loved you.

You were loved before you had a name.
You were loved before you had a face.
You were loved before you had a past.
You were loved before you had a personality.
You were loved before you breathed your first breath.

Love is not something God gives when He approves of you.
Love is something God gives because it is who He is.

You weren’t created because God needed servants.
You were created because His love overflowed.

Everything about your existence began with love — intentional, deliberate, eternal love.

Jeremiah 31:3 says:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

That means God’s love predates your life and outlives your failures.
It means love is not a season — it’s the foundation.

You were not born into the world as a random accident or a spiritual afterthought.
You were born into love.
You are sustained by love.
And you will be carried by love every day of your life.

PART II: WHY “I LOVE YOU” IS HARD FOR SO MANY PEOPLE TO BELIEVE

It’s impossible to fully understand the power of “I love you” without first acknowledging why many people struggle to receive it.

For some, the phrase “I love you” is connected to:

Abandonment
Breakups
Manipulation
Childhood neglect
Emotional inconsistency
Broken promises
Toxic relationships
Traumatic memories
People who said it but never showed it

Some grew up in homes where those words were rare.
Others grew up in homes where those words were said but never lived.
Others were taught to earn love.
Others were taught that love disappears when you disappoint people.

So when someone says “I love you,” it triggers:

Suspicion
Fear
Sadness
Confusion
Or an instinct to run

Love has been so misrepresented by people that many hearts no longer recognize the real thing.

But here’s what your heart needs to remember:

Human love is imperfect.
God’s love is not.

People may have failed you, but God does not.
People may have abandoned you, but God remains.
People may have withdrawn affection, but God holds you tighter.
People may have changed their minds, but God never will.

Your experience with flawed love does not change the truth of perfect love.

PART III: GOD’S “I LOVE YOU” IS NOT EARNED — IT IS GIVEN FREELY

You don’t earn God’s love by being strong.
You don’t lose God’s love by being weak.
You don’t increase God’s love by being good.
You don’t decrease God’s love by being broken.

Your behavior affects your peace.
Your behavior affects your growth.
But your behavior does not affect God’s love.

Romans 5:8 says:
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Meaning:

God didn’t wait for you to get your life together.
He didn’t wait for you to clean up your past.
He didn’t wait for you to become worthy.
He didn’t wait for you to reach a spiritual level.
He didn’t wait for you to prove anything.

He said “I love you” first.

And that means His love is not fragile.
It does not break when you break.
It does not slow when you struggle.
It does not disappear when you sin.
It does not withdraw when you doubt.

His love is stronger than your past, your weaknesses, your cycles, your fears, and every mistake you’ve ever made.

PART IV: YOU ARE LOVED IN THE PLACES YOU FEEL UNLOVEABLE

Everyone has hidden corners of their soul — places they don’t talk about.

Memories that still hurt.
Decisions they regret.
Moments they replay.
Patterns they battle.
Weaknesses they hate.
Secrets they fear being discovered.
Parts of themselves they think disqualify them from love.

But here is the miracle of divine love:

God sees those places.
God knows those places.
God understands those places.
And God loves you in those places — not around them.

He doesn’t say, “I’ll love you when you fix this.”
He says, “I’ll love you while we walk through this together.”

God’s “I love you” meets you in the dark, sits with you there, and slowly brings light.

You don’t hide your wounds from a God who heals them.
You don’t hide your past from a God who forgives it.
You don’t hide your weaknesses from a God who strengthens you.

God’s love does not recoil from your broken pieces —
He gathers them.

PART V: LOVE IS WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING WHEN LIFE GETS HEAVY

When you are discouraged…
God’s love becomes strength.

When you are depressed…
God’s love becomes comfort.

When you are anxious…
God’s love becomes peace.

When you are overwhelmed…
God’s love becomes grounding.

When you feel alone…
God’s love becomes presence.

When you are grieving…
God’s love becomes healing.

When you feel worthless…
God’s love becomes identity.

When everything feels uncertain…
God’s love becomes your anchor.

There are days when you don’t need a lesson — you need love.
You don’t need advice — you need assurance.
You don’t need solutions — you need comfort.

You need to know that someone is with you, for you, committed to you.

And God whispers through every storm:

“I love you. I’m here.”

You don’t survive because you’re unstoppable.
You survive because you’re loved.

PART VI: GOD SAYS “I LOVE YOU” THROUGH PEOPLE — OFTEN MORE THAN YOU REALIZE

Divine love isn’t always thunder, lightning, or miracles.
Sometimes it is quiet, subtle, disguised in everyday moments.

Sometimes God says “I love you” through:

A friend texting you at the exact moment you needed it
A family member who forgives you
A stranger who shows kindness
A child who hugs you
A memory God brings to your mind
A song that reaches your heart
A verse that hits differently today
A moment of peace you can’t explain
Strength you didn’t know you had
A conversation that comforts you
A person who chooses you consistently

Love is not always loud.
Sometimes it’s a whisper.
Sometimes it’s a feeling.
Sometimes it’s a reminder.
Sometimes it’s a nudge.
Sometimes it’s a presence.

And every time, it is God.

PART VII: YOU ARE ALLOWED TO LOVE WITHOUT FEAR

Some people love deeply but speak it rarely.
They carry oceans of affection inside their chest but struggle to let it out.

Why?

Because love exposes the heart.
It makes you vulnerable.
It invites risk.
It requires openness.
It requires courage.

But love is meant to be expressed, not hidden.

There is someone in your life who is desperate to know they matter.
Someone who feels unnoticed.
Someone fighting silent battles.
Someone who is running out of emotional space to carry things alone.

Your words might be the comfort they’ve been praying for.

Love withheld becomes love unfelt.
Love unfelt becomes love questioned.

You are allowed to say “I love you.”
You are allowed to show it.
You are allowed to express it without fear.

PART VIII: GOD’S LOVE WILL OUTLAST EVERYTHING THAT TRIED TO BREAK YOU

Life breaks people.
People break people.
Trauma breaks people.
Disappointment breaks people.
Grief breaks people.
Loneliness breaks people.
Fear breaks people.

But God’s love puts people back together.

Piece by piece.
Moment by moment.
Day by day.

There is nothing that has happened to you…
nothing you’ve lost…
nothing you regret…
nothing you fear…
nothing you’ve done…
that God’s love is not strong enough to rebuild.

God’s love is the one thing in your life that cannot collapse.

When everything else changes — His love does not.
When everyone else gives up — His love does not.
When you feel unworthy — His love speaks louder.
When you feel abandoned — His love stays.
When you feel broken — His love restores.
When you feel lost — His love finds you.

God’s love is the only thing in the universe powerful enough to rewrite a human soul.

PART IX: IF YOU HAVEN’T HEARD THESE WORDS IN A LONG TIME, HEAR THEM NOW

I don’t know what you’re carrying.
I don’t know what your past looks like.
I don’t know who has loved you well or who has loved you poorly.
I don’t know what wounds you’re still healing from.
I don’t know what fears you’re battling right now.

But I do know this:

You deserve to hear this today.

You deserve to hear it clearly.
You deserve to hear it honestly.
You deserve to hear it without conditions attached.

So let me tell you with sincerity and compassion:

I love you.
And God loves you infinitely more.

You are valued.
You are wanted.
You are seen.
You are chosen.
You are forgiven.
You are held.
You are protected.
You are supported.
You are cherished.
You are never alone.
You are never forgotten.
You are deeply, truly, endlessly loved.

No matter what you’ve been through.
No matter what you fear.
No matter how you feel today.

God’s love is the truth that outlives every lie your pain ever told you.

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Douglas Vandergraph

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