I Corinthians 13:4-8

Because God loves me He is slow to lose patience with me.

Because God loves me, He takes the circumstances in my life and uses them in a constructive way for my growth.

Because God loves me, He does not need to treat me as an object to be possessed and manipulated.

Because God loves me, He has no need to impress me with how great and powerful He is because He is God, nor does He belittle me as His child in order to show me how important He is.

Because God loves me, He is for me.  He wants to see me mature and develop in His love.

Because God loves me, He does not send down His wrath on every little mistake I make, of which there are many.

Because God loves me, He does not keep score of all my sins, and then beat me over the head with them whenever He gets the chance.

Because God loves me, He is deeply grieved when I do not walk in the ways that please Him, because he sees this as evidence that I don’t trust Him and love Him as I should.

Because God loves me, He rejoices when I experience His power and strength and stand up under the pressures of life for His Name’s sake.

Because God loves me He keeps on working patiently with me even when I feel like giving up, and can’t see why He doesn’t give up on me, too.

Because God loves me, He keeps on trusting me when at times I don’t even trust myself.

Because God loves me, He never says “there is no hope for you”; rather, He patiently works with me, loves me, and disciplines me in such a way that it is hard for me to understand the depth of His concern for me.

Because God loves me, He never forsakes me even though many of my friends might.

Because God loves me, He stands with me when I have reached the rock bottom of despair; when I see the real me and compare that with His righteousness, holiness, beauty and love.  It is at a moment like this that I can really believe that God loves me.

Yes, the greatest of all gifts is God’s perfect love!

(Dick Dickinson, Inter Community Counseling Center, Long Beach, California)