“They give you a steak dinner when you come and sandwiches when you leave,” remarked the physician seated next to me as we attended a farewell luncheon for a physician who was leaving for a job with a different institution.  The wry remark highlighted the fickle nature of human interaction and how our value in the eyes of others and organizations can vary depending on our usefulness to them at a particular moment in time.

Fortunately our value to God never changes.  We are always beloved in God’s eyes, and God is always there for us no matter what challenges or difficulties we face.  God does not love us more when things are going well and we are obedient to God’s direction; God doesn’t love us less when times are hard and we stray from God’s teachings.  As today’s reading says, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him”.

We can be assured that we are loved by God.  It doesn’t matter if we are moving, changing jobs, or going through stressful times.  God loves us and nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God.”

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for loving us unconditionally. May we show the same love to others that you show to us.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.