Like a Kiss

His words fell on my lips like a lingering kiss. You’re still my girl. I’ll always love you. I keep replaying the entire scene in my mind. How I lay on the couch in our living room, feeling miserable. Looking even worse. Eyes bloodshot and swollen, devoid of color. How he seemed to be blind to my ugly, looked beyond it, and saw beauty instead.

I remember how he took care of me after I had retina re-attachment surgery. Both retinas were detached. The left eye required a very invasive procedure; laser worked on the right eye. Still, I couldn’t see much of anything for quite a while.

I remember that he hated having to put the drops in my eyes. He knew that it hurt for me to open my eye and that the drops burned really bad. But I needed them in order for my eye to heal. Four different kinds—one drop each—left eye only—four times a day. Eight o’clock, twelve, four, and ten turned into torture time for both of us.

I remember that he cooked breakfast for me the morning after I had surgery. My favorite meal: bacon, eggs, and grits. Funny how he did that because he doesn’t like to eat breakfast.

I remember how I was so visually impaired for the first few days following surgery that I had to wake him up during the night to take me to the bathroom. He never complained.

He wouldn’t.

He loves me.

I’m his girl.

I was helpless and needy and unattractive. But none of that changed how he felt about me. Both his words and actions showed his love for me.

And you know what, sweet girl. Our helplessness—our neediness—our ugliness doesn’t change how our loving God feels about us.

He still loves us.

He will always love us.

We’re still His girl.

We’ll always be His girl.

Our circumstances don’t change God’s character. Our current cache of feelings can’t change God’s character either.

Our God is good. Loving. Kind. Compassionate.

He has proven His great love for us.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5: 8).

Nothing can change that kind of love. Nothing can change that kind of God.

He has given us the kiss of love. Lingering. Eternal.