Now that we understand what love is, let us look at this truth: your Sin does not hinder God's love for you. In St. Luke 15:11-12, we see this clearly in the story of the Prodigal Son. The younger son asked his father for his portion of the inheritance, and without hesitation the father gave it to him. The son went into the world and spent everything, enjoying a merry life until a famine came, and because of hunger he found himself eating what the swine ate. In that broken place, he realized that his father had bread enough and to spare while he was starving, so he decided to return home. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him, had compassion, ran to him, fell on his neck, and kissed him. 

Even when the son confessed his sin and unworthiness, the father responded not with condemnation but with love, calling for the best robe, a ring, and shoes. Did the son's sin hinder the father's love? No. Yet many of us believe God could never love someone like us because of what we have done, and many times the church teaches us to condemn ourselves so much that we fail to recognize God's love. The enemy uses this condemnation to deceive us into thinking God will never love us because of what we did last night, yesterday, or even today. I was once in that place, struggling with sexual content, feeling lost and misunderstood, when in reality God's love was right there waiting for me to hear Him say, "Abigail, I love you." 

So today I am telling someone: when you sin, don't run from God-run to Him. Stop condemning yourself, get up, and run to God, because no matter how many times we fall short, His love has always been there, and I know this because I experienced His love while struggling in sin, and I am still experiencing His love today.