"I always knew I loved her, I always knew I wanted her"

Those were the words that I just read in an online article posted about a couple who had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. They got to stay another night there, the last time being their wedding night, for the same price as 1950 - $26!!! (It now goes for $600-800 per night).

Prices aside, when the husband spoke of his wife and how they met when they were 12, grew up together, and he finally got it together to go after her when he returned from the war at age 22. He spoke tenderly of his wife and of his childhood sweetheart; "I always knew I loved her. I always knew I wanted her".

What a tender statement. I will repeat it so we can let it sink in.

"I always knew I loved her. I always knew I wanted her"

Going on the same path as my previous post, how deeply does this speak to the heart of a woman? I mean, who does not want to be told by their beloved that you have always been loved, always been wanted.

On a marriage note, I believe that this is the longing of everyone's heart. Tears welled up as I read those words, wanting those words to be true of me when Tim and I have been married 30, 40, 50, 60 years..... When Tim speaks to me in that way, or rather, speaks of me in that way, I know I am where I am supposed to be. I am safe, I am loved, and I am wanted, even needed.

How much more does God feel this way about us! About me. Those words pierced my heart as I read them because I felt like God was speaking those words to me.

God was whispering in my ear, "I always knew that I loved you, I always knew that I wanted you"

I am just sitting here (there was quite a long pause between that above statement and what I am writing now), soaking in that fact, in that love. Think about how glorious that love is! I am overwhelmed...

The earth was nothingness, void. God began creating, creating this beautiful place, with the culmination of his creation being us - humans, made to reflect His image.

I was not even a thought, a dream. My parents didn't exist, nothing that would be around while I lived existed. No one was thinking of me, thinking of my life, thinking of the future... But God was. God had me in mind when He created the world. Do you know how intimately He cares for you and I? His thoughts about me (and all of us) outnumber the grains of sand in the whole world, the Bible says. Before I was born I was loved, I was chosen, I was wanted. God had me in mind and when He thought of me, He knew that He always loved me, that He always wanted me.

I feel Him whisper that to me even now. As I was being formed in my mothers womb, I imagine Him speaking to me, before I even knew who He was, telling me that very statement, "Melynda, I am so glad you are here. I always knew that I loved you, I always knew that I wanted you."

And the tears come. Jesus you are so good! I am so unworthy, undeserving, and unable to bring myself out of my hopeless position. Thank you for always loving me, always wanting me.