Can you explain 'loving God' to me?

[SpringingAllTheWay]

I am a believer and go to church, study the bible etc but not sure if I am doing things right/ a proper Christian as I
Don't seen to love God in the same way some of my church friends do.
I respect God and pray to him but wouldn't say I 'loved' him as it were. Not like I love my family etc. though one of my Christian friends says she loves God as much as she loves her dp if not more.

I really don't get this and wonder if this means I am not a proper Christian? What an I doing wrong?

Anyone else's experiences/ thoughts welcome please!

It sounds like you are doing your best to live a Christian life. You can't make yourself have a feeling you just don't have. I think the love we have for God is a different type of feeling from loving our family - for example you don't get worried about God if he is ill or go check on him at night lol :) Don't worry about being like other people, just keep saying your prayers and do your best. I'm Catholic and that is why we sometimes pray to the Virgin Mary and the saints - they pray to God for us as I agree God can seem very distant sometimes but He is everywhere. Thinking about Jesus and His suffering helps me to love God more. Hope this helps a bit not sure if I am making sense!!

I think your love for God will grow as you get to know Him better. Also, there is nothing you can do to make God love you more or less. If you are not sure of your love for God, think how much He loved you that He sent Jesus to take your sin away.
Because if He hadn't done that you wouldn't have know Him at all. When you think about that, your love for Him will grow and you will have a closer relationship with Him which nothing can spoil. Look at Romans 8 for instance.
You are loved by God and nothing in all creation can take that away from you.

i love god more than anything anything anything.....
this love melts my heart, my body, my whole being.....
it is my whole raison d'etre...

reading inspirational and devotional prayers and texts may open our heart to the living god within.....
sitting quietly, privately, in prayer, may also open our heart....

I think how we experience God is different. Don't beat yourself up for not being like some of your church friends, it isn't a competition :). Like any relationships, what we feel changes over time and I think that applies to relationship with God too. Hang in there, it really doesn't sound to be as if you are doing anything wrong, nor can I see any reason for saying you're not a proper Christian :).

Personally I think the devil likes it when we doubt ourselves, and uses whatever means necessary to weaken our relationship with God.

I think it varies for all of us, like Mary says, and varies for different times too. There are times I am full to bursting with love for God and times I feel absolutely nothing at all, a great black hole. I don't know why, but somehow coming through these times makes me stronger. You certainly don't need to think that you are not a proper Christian if you are not feeling love for God. Firstly, there is no 'proper Christian' - we are all flawed, and all loved by God :) Secondly, I always remember the phrase 'love is not a feeling, it's an act of the will' and I find that helpful in those darker times - I make a decision to love God with my will. Sometimes feelings follow, sometimes not.

As DO says you will find your love for God grows as well, as you come to know God more and see how God works in your life and loves you so much.

'love is not a feeling, it's an act of the will' yes you are absolutely right madhair! Wish I had said this myself.

Masuki - wondered if I could ask what you mean... Can you
Compare your love for God for your dc and dp? I find it hard to compare the two and dont know if this is wrong e.g. My
Love for my dc is the type of love where i would do anything fpr them, et that light feeling in my heart and an overwhelming joy. Is that how you feel about God? Is that how I am supposed to feel too? I feel confused at the mo :(

Thankyou for a very interesting thread springing - I could have written your OP myself and will certainly benefit from the answers. Great timing as I'm starting to think about confirmation / adult baptism. Perhaps even an answer to prayer ;-)

Springing - have you considered having this talk with your vicar?

Springing _ I understand what you are saying and have had the same doubts myself at times but I think if you keep giving thanks to God for all the good things in your life, you come to realise how much he loves you and your love for him grows with time.

I remember reading somewhere that faith is like a central heating boiler and the same would apply to love of God. Some people are like the big flames that jump up with a whumph when the boiler switches on, big, bright and spectacular where others are like the pilot light - small, steady and reliable but both are essential and neither would be any use without the other. Don't beat yourself up for being a pilot light!

dear springingalltheway...

it is hard to explain, i guess my love for god is the backdrop of my live, my anchor, the container somehow,,, and from this root everything else flows....

the more i nurture, feed this love, through prayer, meditation, retreat, other spiritual practices, the more my heart opens, expands, fills with love that i can then share with my dp, my dc and in every moment in my life...

the less i nurture this love for god, the less love there is for everyone around me....

i like what tranquilidade says , that we are different lights.... maybe we are the tiniest flame, however the tiniest flame is so so precious, we can nurture that flame, and keep it constant, we may also decide to feed the flame through increased spiritual practices and pray that through the grace of god the flame will grow deeper and stronger......

xxx

masuki I know what you mean that the less you nurture this love the less love for those around - I do find that if I am spending more time with God, worshipping even when I am lethargic and feel nothing, making a decision to, something else changes in my relationships too - with my dh and dc, friends and family - there is something in me more careful to be at peace and loving them. It makes sense I guess :)