Being Rooted in a Love that Never Runs Out
What freedom comes when we surrender our striving and earning so that we can live secure and confident in the extravagant, unconditional love of God!
I’m not even sure if my dad knows this, but I really look up to him. We used to be very close, and even though we are not as close as we once were, he still set a high standard in my mind for what a man should be. Growing up, I saw my dad one way. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to see him differently.
As a kid, I knew he wasn’t perfect, but I still wanted to be like him. I admired the kind of father he was, the kind of husband he was, the kind of businessman he was, and most of all, the man of God he was. I still want to be like that. The difference now is that the image I had as a kid felt blurry, and as an adult, I see it more clearly. I see the strengths and the flaws, and somehow that makes my respect for him even deeper.
My parents and I went through a lot of challenges when I was living at home. Part of that was because I was adopted, and, deep down, I think I struggled with being part of a family again after losing my first parents at a young age. Another part of it was simply me. I was stubborn and thought I knew everything. My parents weren’t perfect either, but one thing I never doubted was that they loved me and wanted the best for me.
One of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had happened when I was 15. A lot led to it, but the end result was that my parents decided it would be best for me to live with my grandma. That conversation happened over five years ago, and for a long time after that, my life revolved around trying to find approval, especially from my dad.
I felt like I had failed. Without him around, I started putting pressure on myself. I would constantly think, “If I do this, my dad will be proud of me.” The problem was that I built up expectations he never actually put on me.
About a year ago, we had a conversation that changed how I saw all of this. He told me that, at the end of the day, all that really matters to him is that I love God and follow Him. That was it. No impossible standard. What a relief.
The Father Who Runs Toward Us
While reading through Luke with my men’s group, the parable of the Prodigal Son stood out to me in a new way. A son asks for his inheritance early, leaves home, wastes everything, and ends up desperate. When he decides to return, he expects to be treated like a servant, not a son.
Luke 15:20 says, “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.”
The father doesn’t lecture him or make him earn his way back. He restores him and celebrates with him. This parable is a clear picture of how God loves us. No matter how far we run, He welcomes us back with open arms.
Understanding the Love That Makes Us Complete
While in prison, Paul writes in Ephesians 3:18–19:
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
For a long time, I lived like love had to be earned and approval had to be chased. But God’s love does not work that way. It does not wait for us to fix ourselves. It runs toward us while we are still far off. When we are rooted in God’s love, we stop striving for approval and start living from a place of acceptance.
Looking back, I can see how God used my relationship with my dad to teach me something bigger. My dad set a high standard for what a man of God looks like, but he was never meant to be the source of my identity. He was meant to point me toward the One who is.
One of my favorite songs, “Reckless Love,” describes this perfectly: “I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, you give Yourself away.” That line captures the kind of love God has for us. It is not based on performance. It is based on who He is.
God’s love never runs out. It does not fade when we fail, nor does it grow when we succeed. It simply is. When we truly understand that we can finally rest in the only love that will ever make us complete. We can stop trying to earn what has already been freely given and instead live each day grounded in the security of being fully loved by God.
