Equal or unique?
God loves each of us as if there was only one of us.
-Saint Augustine
Often in our human attempts to make all things fair, we are tempted to think that God loves us all the same. As good as this may initially sound, same just isn’t big enough. The word same implies that we might be somehow replaceable or interchangeable. Like, “Oh no, I broke one of the purple glasses I bought at Target last week; I hope they still have the same ones in stock.” This doesn’t work for God.
One afternoon as I was dozing off for a nap, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, “I do not love my children equally.”
Where did this blasphemous thought come from? I blurted out, “You have to love us the same or else it wouldn’t be fair.”
My protest was answered with, “I don’t. Equal implies my love can be measured, and I assure you. . . it cannot. Same would mean my children are replaceable or interchangeable, and they are not. My heart is not divided into compartments. No one could take the place of, or displace another in my heart. For you see, I don’t love my children equally, I love them uniquely.”
Take a deep breath and listen. God loves us uniquely rather than equally. Believe me, unique is better.
Equal implies God’s love is measured or measurable, and it is neither. It’s infinite. Unique carries so much more depth. There is only one like you! Saint Augustine said it best, “God loves each of us as if there was only one of us.”
Our Father’s love cannot be likened to a pan of brownies or a cherry pie that is painstakingly cut by a loving parent into equal portions so that no child feels slighted. His marvelous love is not subject to portion control. Do you understand He loved you before there was a beginning, and His love for you knows no end? You can turn from Him, run away, and make your bed in hell, but your actions will not stop His love. (Seriously though, who’d want to sleep in hell?)
I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. (Jeremiah 31:3 ESV)
Notice the tense here. It is past. His love is a settled matter. He loved you, the real you, the unique you, with an everlasting, never-ending, it doesn’t matter how old or how young, how thin or how heavy you are kind of love. Our Father does not have love for you . . .He is love for you. Our Father’s marvelous love for us is infinite, intimate, and unique. And you are uniquely loved because you were uniquely created. Unique means “without equal or rival.”
Our Father God stands alone without rival, so we shouldn’t be surprised that in His eyes we are daughters without rival, which eliminates every reason that we should ever compete with one another.
God uniquely created your DNA and knit your frame in secret so He could surprise the world. He authored how your heart expresses itself. He was the architect of your smile and the melody of your voice. He made all of your features with the fondest thoughts of only you in mind. Our Father rejoiced when you drew your first breath, and as the years unfolded, the angels of heaven rejoiced with Him when you were reborn as His Spirit-quickened daughter.
Marvelously loved one, there is absolutely nothing accidental about you.
This article was adapted from Lisa’s new book, Without Rival (Revell, 2016). Some content from this article originally appeared in that book.
Lisa Bevere
Lisa Bevere is a best-selling author and co founder of Messenger International. She is the mother of four boys and grandmother of four. To purchase Lisa's new book, Without Rival, click here. You can also connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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