For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
Romans 8:38-39

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Some may remember this beautiful quote in Anne of Green Gables: “A bosom friend—an intimate friend, you know—a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my inmost soul. I’ve dreamed of meeting her all my life.” 

God has given me wonderful girlfriends during the years of my life that I have been so grateful for, but when I was twenty-four, in the beginning years at Willow I met my kindred spirit, who was closer than a sister. We talked and talked when our babies were good—and also when they were bad. We led Bible Studies together, we ate many meals together, and we went to church on Wednesdays together. Quite simply put: we shared our souls. 

And as quickly as our relationship formed, it died.

Some of you know the pain of the death of a relationship. We eventually forgave each other; however, we couldn’t rebuild what we previously had, and the pain stayed with me. I spent many years of my life with sadness in my heart; it was difficult for me to build deep bonds with other Christ followers. I know many of you have experienced this pain, this very specific trauma of losing someone you’ve desperately loved.

In Romans 8, Paul addresses this issue of suffering, and in his lifetime, suffering for the sake of the gospel was his way of life. He lost his friendship with Barnabas and experienced shipwrecks and being beaten with rods. Paul was also hungry and thirsty, in danger from the Gentiles and his fellow Jews, to name a few. 

In our verse today, the word that stands out to me is “nothing”. Nothing, nothing, nothing can keep us from His love. Andwhile I’m being  redundant, it’s because I serve a God who is redundant and tells us over and over again in the Bible how much he loves us and never, ever will leave us, as sometimes human beings do. 

Do you know Jesus as your intimate friend, you know—a kindred spirit to whom you can confide your inmost soul? 

If Jesus is your Savior, He is that friend. Open up your conversation with Jesus today. Let him teach you and love you through His words. Let him guide your decisions. Let Him also cradle and comfort you in your worry and pain today.

Next Steps

The Bible is filled with verses that tell us God loves us. Spend some time soaking in these verses: John 3:16,  Zephaniah 3:17, 1 John 4:16. 

Speed dial on this special tune.