“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8

Love that doesn’t cost anything probably doesn’t mean much. But the love of God? It cost Him everything. He didn’t wait for us to get our lives in order. He didn’t demand we climb up to Him. He came down to us, into the dust, into the human mess we often try to hide. And somehow, in all His power, He still chooses to be vulnerable with us—to let us grieve Him, ignore Him, question Him. Because love doesn’t force its way in. Love knocks, waits, and returns. Again and again. God is not distant. He is afflicted—on purpose, by choice, for love.  

We often want God to fix everything, smooth things out, and make life easy. But the God we serve chose the hard road – the road that led to the cross. Jesus did not come to impress the world. He came to be crushed for it – for us. That isn’t a weakness. That’s the strongest kind of love. The type that suffers willingly and repeatedly, staying no matter how hard it gets.  

When we walk through trials, we can know beyond a doubt that God understands trouble. He didn’t avoid it. He absorbed it, and He still does. Every time we feel like nobody sees our struggles, He does. Each time we wonder if we’re worth the mess we carry, He already paid the price for it. God doesn’t love us from afar. He loves us up close, and that’s what makes it costly.  

Sometimes we glamorize sacrifice. But troubling ourselves for God doesn’t always look holy—it seems like doing the thing no one wants to do: staying when it’s awkward, showing up when you’re tired, speaking when silence is easier. 

This week, let’s ask ourselves where God is inviting us to choose love even when it’s uncomfortable. What minor “trouble” could we take on – not for approval but in response to the One who took on ours. Have we let God near our own mess, or are we still trying to handle it alone?