"Hi Josh, Why do we as believers still need to feel loved by other people? I know that God's love is all we need, so why is feeling loved by others so important to us? I feel like I desire to feel like I'm loved by others too much. So basically, what role is being loved by others supposed to play in a Christian's life?"
Thanks, Stillneeding Luv
Hey Stillneeding Luv,
God isn't all you need. It's true that his grace is sufficient for you and that his strength is made perfect in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). God's grace holds you up and gets you by even through the toughest times. It is also true that God will supply all of your needs (Philippians 4:19) but that does not mean he is all you need. He is the source of all you need, he is what you need most, he is what you need desperately...but you need others as well. You were designed with a need for others. You couldn't make it alone and God never intended you too.
God created in the Garden of Eden (cool story in the book of Genesis). When it came time for man to be created God wasn't satisfied with man being alone. God knew and declared that it wasn't good for man to be alone. In fact nothing in all of God's creation, in the entire Garden of Eden (the place where God walked with man) met Adam's need for a companion...someone to walk with through life. So, God created Eve, and she and Adam were made for each other, because people need people on this walk of life.
Did you know that over a hundred years ago babies living in large orphanages were dying at an alarming rate. The babies were dying from a condition called "marasmus", which basically means they were wasting away due to malnutrition. The confusing thing was, these babies were being fed all of the appropriate nourishment. They moved the infants to smaller settings were they received hands on touch and care with the same formula they had been using before and the babies began to thrive. The solution proved that we need physical touch to thrive. We need others. You were created with this need, it will always be there. (click hear to read more)
We need each other for so much (encouragement, help, becoming better people) but what it really boils down to is this... we need each other's love. That's why over and over again in the bible, we get specific instruction and emphasis on loving others. Jesus said it was the second greatest thing we could do right behind loving God. He told his disciples to love each other the way he loved them. In 1 John 4 it tells us that if we don't love others we don't even understand or know who God is.
You need others to walk with you through life and on your journey with God.
The problem is we are always hurting each other. We don't always treat others with love. We act selfishly, we even bring each other down. That's why it is so important to keep your heart in check and keep your priorities straight. It is possible to desire the love of others too much. When we get to that dangerous spot, we start compromising who we are, what we believe, what we value, even our healthy relationships to get the love we are seeking. When we get to those spots we really need to search our hearts, find what is driving that desire and re-channel it into our relationship with God and healthy friendships with others.
You need others but you need God more. Care more about what he says about you than what others say. Listen to him, before you listen to others. Desire him first and others second. But pay attention, because God has this way of using the relationships we have to help us see him.
Your friend,
Josh
