Living A Life Rooted in Love

The air conditioning in the house I am renting has been out since last Friday.  Last night it was in the mid-80s in my bedroom, and I had yet another night without decent sleep.  I have to take at least two cold showers a day because I'm sweating so much even when I'm still. 

The property management company can't move forward with repairs because the owner hasn't approved them for going on three days now.  

So, I've not been able to muster much love for my new landlord.  You might say that we have gotten off to a very rocky start, and I've begun fantasizing about showing up at their house (If I knew the address) to picket or demand to stay in their guest room.  

But I got to thinking about it a bit more deeply (from the cool confines of my church office), and I wondered what it would be like to lead with love in this situation.  I imagined that there might be circumstances the owner and their family were dealing with, and that a costly repair might have turned them upside down. 

I also realized anew just how hard it is to live in a heart-forward way, especially when we're struggling because of the actions of the people we are supposed to be loving.  

Henri Nouwen once wrote, “We are not what we do, we are not what we have, we are not what other people say about us. We are the beloved of God.” 

These words cut through so many of the false identities we carry and bring us back to something essential: we are created, first and foremost, to love and to be loved. Before we achieve anything, before we prove anything, we are already held in the loving heart of God—and from that place, our lives begin to make sense.

Scripture affirms this truth from the very beginning. In Genesis 1:27, we are told that we are made in the image of God. And if, as 1 John 4:8 reminds us, “God is love,” then being made in God’s image means that love is woven into the fabric of our being. It is not an optional trait or a secondary virtue—it is our original design. To live apart from love is to live out of alignment with who we truly are.

Jesus brings this into even sharper focus. When asked about the greatest commandment, he responds by centering everything on love: love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37–39). And in John 15:12, he goes further still: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” 

If you want to follow Jesus, love becomes not just a suggestion, but the defining mark of a faithful life.

Yet we live in a world that often prizes something else entirely—winning, power, recognition, being right. These values can pull us away from our true calling, convincing us that our worth is measured by what we accomplish or how we compare. But Nouwen’s reminder calls us back: we are the beloved. And beloved people are free to love without fear.

To discover that you are created to love is to rediscover your truest self. It means choosing compassion over competition, kindness over control, and presence over performance. In doing so, you begin to reflect the very heart of God.

So when the world urges you to strive and conquer, remember this: you were not made for triumphalism—you were made for love. And in choosing love, you are living exactly as God intends.

Prayer
Loving God, remind me that I am your beloved, created to love as you love. When I am tempted to measure my worth by the world’s standards, draw me back to your truth. Fill my heart with compassion and guide my actions so that I may reflect your love each day. Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. What does it mean to you to be called “the beloved of God”?

2. Where do you feel pressure to measure your worth by something other than love?

3. How can you intentionally choose love over competition or control in your life this week?