Sabbath Devotional :: Just Because I Love You
Sheri Dew has said that there are two questions that we can ask that will help open the heavens: “First, ask the Lord to teach you what it feels and sounds like for you when He is speaking to you via the Holy Ghost, and then watch how He tutors you. And, second, if you’ve never asked the Lord how He feels about you, that is a great question to ask” (Sheri Dew, “Will You Engage in the Wrestle,” May 17, 2016).
The first question is one that I began asking many years ago after hearing Sister Dew speak about personal revelation. I began diligently asking the Lord to specifically teach me how He speaks to me. As I asked and listened and acted, I learned. I am still learning.
As I have continued to learn about how the Spirit speaks to me, I have had countless experiences of being guided to learn something that I needed to learn, help someone that needed to be helped, or teach something that needed to be taught. I have been guided to make connections with people that I needed in my life. I have been made aware of unspoken needs of my children. The whisperings of the Holy Ghost have warned me, taught me, sustained me, and led me.
But recently I had an experience that seemed different. I had the opportunity to do something that brought me great joy and delight. I recognized that the promptings of the Spirit had been there, leading me to be in the right place at the right time, allowing me to have this experience in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. But something in me strongly resisted the idea that those had been spiritual promptings. Although this experience brought me joy, part of me felt like it was a bit indulgent and frivolous. It wasn’t something that I needed. It didn’t affect my salvation. It didn’t help anyone else. It didn’t teach a lesson. With all of the pain and suffering in the world, I just couldn’t imagine that God would be concerned with me having this experience. There were so many more important things for the Holy Ghost to be doing.
Yet as I tried to dismiss the Spirit’s role in this and convince myself it was just coincidence or a stroke of luck, that didn’t feel right. It seemed ungrateful to not acknowledge God’s hand in this gift I had been given. As I went back and forth in my mind with this, asking myself why the Lord would have possibly guided me with spiritual direction in this instance, the answer came in a very clear and powerful way with these words: “Just because I love you.”
As a parent, I have on occasion found great satisfaction in giving my children “just because” gifts. A “just because” gift is not given because of a holiday or special occasion. It is not something that was asked for or earned. It is not something that is needed. It is given simply because I love them, and because I know them. I know what they love. I know what will bring them delight. I want them to know that I know those things about them. I want them to know that I am thinking about them. I want to express my love for them.
In that moment I realized that God was giving me a “just because” gift. Just because He loves me. Because He knows me personally and individually in a way that nobody else does. He knows what I love. He knows what will bring me joy and delight. He wants me to have those things in my life. He wants me to feel His love.
After this experience, I began looking for other “just because” gifts in my life. I could see that they have always been there in abundance. They are easily overlooked when I am distracted by other things, but when I look for them, I see them. The more I look, the more I see. The more I see, the more I am filled with gratitude and love.
It seems a bit ironic that this “just because” gift that didn’t seem to do any good for anyone else or teach any lessons in that moment ultimately taught me many important things. It taught me more about the nature of God. It taught me about how intimately He knows me. It taught me that He wants me to have joy and delight in my life. Perhaps the most important and profound lesson that came from this experience was the answer to Sister Dew’s second question: “How does the Lord feel about me?” I am learning more about the answer to that question. I am learning about His very personal love for me. I am learning more about what it means to be His daughter. Learning of His love for me instills more desire in me to be filled with that same love for others. In that way, this experience that seemed to be all about me ended up not being all about me after all. Because understanding God’s love for me helps me better understand His love for all of His children. The more I feel God’s love for me, the more I want to share that love with others.
Amy Gold Douglas is a member of Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
