To Be “Loveable”

During this past week, one of my Twitter pals tweeted a question to his followers. He asked: What does your name mean? When I saw this tweet, I was like, “Oh! This will be fun!” So, I looked up my name’s meaning. I learned that the name “Amanda” is of Latin origin and means “loveable” or “worthy of love.” When I told him this, my friend got me thinking because he responded that it has a nice spiritual context and thought it would be a good blog post.

He is right after all. Being loveable or worthy of love does have a spiritual meaning. Upon thinking about it, it has two meanings in my eyes. The first meaning that came to my mind was God’s love. The verse that came to my mind was the memorable John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

You see, I wasn’t just thinking of what the spiritual meaning of my name means to me. No, I was thinking of what it means to all of us. No matter what your name means or translates to, I know that metaphorically speaking your name means “loveable” and “worthy of love” too. Though, maybe you wonder how that could be true?

I have had dark moments when I would question why God loves me. There have been times when I would think that I disappointed him, that I upset him. Especially in moments of backsliding. “I hurt him. Surely he wouldn’t love me anymore.” Haven’t we all thought these things at some point in our lives? And, I mean, our thinking is not necessarily wrong. What I mean is, plenty of people have turned away from someone they once loved because they were hurt by them one too many times. But that is where our thinking is faulty too.

God’s love is not like our limited human love.

God’s love is not static. It is not self-centered. It is not envious, boastful, or proud. It is not dishonest or easily angered. No, God’s love reaches out, always. God’s love is always patient and kind. His love never keeps a record of your wrongs. He willingly gives us his love. He created us; you are his. Nothing can separate you from his love. His love never fails.

His love has always been there too. Think about it. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Even before you turned to him, gave your life to him, he loved you. He gave his one and only son because he wants to spend eternity with you. You are so loveable that he never once turned his love away from you, and even done things to bring you closer to him!

This leads me to the second meaning I thought of reflecting on being “loveable.” If God finds you loveable, why wouldn’t he find anyone else loveable as well? Another verse that came to mind was John 13:34-35:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciple if you love one another.

You see, Jesus is a living example of God’s love. We are to be as well. Think about the people in your life who are hard to love. Think about those whom you feel like you can’t love. Humanly, it seems impossible to view them as loveable, huh? Yet, God loves them, and Christ died for them too. Are you not a representative of Christ? Be humble, patient, and gentle. These are but a few steps to take in loving others, especially when it is difficult to do so. Because let me tell you, such love will not only bring unbelievers to faith in Jesus but will also keep believers strong and united.

“What does your name mean?” Well, I know your name means loveable. After all, you are to die for! Don’t forget that others are too.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Ephesians 4:2

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Featured Image by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash