How do I KNOW I love God?

[dizzy_dave]

I have been struggling with my spirituality a while now. How does one KNOW that they love God? What I mean is what is the proof? How does one know if they really love God or if they are just going through the motions? I seem to have a problem with a recurring sin.Thanks for your advice ahead of time. God bless.

 

[danonwaveland]

I think one way to tell if you love God is when you discover that you are sorry for your sins more because of disappointing God than because of fear of punishment – although punishment is no small concern.

I sometimes wonder how it will be to meet Jesus face-to-face at death. While it should be glorious, I think it will also be somewhat frightening. Fr. Groeschel says he needs to practice saying “Mercy” in preparation for that meeting. While I have never cheated on my wife, I suspect that sinning is kind of like that, if that makes any sense. I can’t imagine looking Him in the eye. It’s so humbling to even consider. And yet, I know He forgives and is more anxious to forgive us than we are to seek His mercy. All we can count on is His love. I guess that’s another thing to remember. He knows your heart more than you do. He knows that you want to love Him, even imperfectly (we’re all imperfect, aren’t we?) and that counts.

Hope this makes sense. God bless.

Dan

 

[puzzleannie]

Jesus said if you love Me you will keep My commands. we do this, we try, we confess and seek absolution when we fail, we gear our lives toward this, we love God.

 

[MarieVeronica]

I have been advised by many wise folks… that a TRUE expression of love for God… is to pray, even when you don’t “feel” anything. Because, especially then… prayer becomes an “I love You” to God.

 

[LoverofChrist]

For me, it is a very deep “feeling” of love! I truly “feel” it. I struggle with many things such as “knowing” that at communion it is truly the body and blood of Jesus, but I never doubt my love.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

I have been struggling with my spirituality a while now. How does one KNOW that they love God? What I mean is what is the proof? How does one know if they really love God or if they are just going through the motions? I seem to have a problem with a recurring sin.Thanks for your advice ahead of time. God bless.

“How can you say you love God whom you cannot see if you do not love your neighbour whom you can?” pretty well sums it up. If one wants to apply a yardstick, that is it. I am keeping the commandments of God and of His Church and I am a prayerful person, but if I am not caring and concerned for others to an increasing degree and non judgementally, then something is amiss somewhere.

Blessings - Barb

 

[Jeanette_L]

“How can you say you love God whom you cannot see if you do not love your neighbour whom you can?” pretty well sums it up. If one wants to apply a yardstick, that is it. I am keeping the commandments of God and of His Church and I am a prayerful person, but if I am not caring and concerned for others to an increasing degree and non judgementally, then something is amiss somewhere.

Blessings - Barb

Yes!

You have hit the nail on the head, because all that we do for God, if not from a heart that wants to please him and be conformed into the image of His Son, is for nothing.

For many years, I thought I loved God, but I was not very concerned with those around me, it was a very self centered, self involved, feelings oriented love.

He is changing that, thanks be to Him! He took me through a lot to get me on the right track, but I am noticing that compassion towards others, in an eternal way as well as temporal way, is growing in step with my devotion to pleasing Him in other things. (And I still struggle with sin, but I am more accutely pained by it than before.)

So, I think you are right, love for neighbor as seen through the eyes of Christ, is the true barometer for our love for God.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Yes!

You have hit the nail on the head, because all that we do for God, if not from a heart that wants to please him and be conformed into the image of His Son, is for nothing.

For many years, I thought I loved God, but I was not very concerned with those around me, it was a very self centered, self involved, feelings oriented love.

He is changing that, thanks be to Him! He took me through a lot to get me on the right track, but I am noticing that compassion towards others, in an eternal way as well as temporal way, is growing in step with my devotion to pleasing Him in other things. (And I still struggle with sin, but I am more accutely pained by it than before.)

So, I think you are right, love for neighbor as seen through the eyes of Christ, is the true barometer for our love for God.

The words I quoted are those of Jesus. St. Teresa of Avila focuses on love of neighbour too as a yardstick (Doctor of The Church that she is) and warns her nuns of the insidious danger of prayer becoming all about self in some way and especially all about what one is feeling, so if I find myself self orientated in some way, a good move is to do something for another, become involved in another and their needs and decentralizing off self. St. Teresa also wrote that the surest and safest way to Union is through love of neighbour. If we love God, then God’s Love will live in us and God’s Love is focused lovingly and mercifully on his children and their needs.

Blessings - Barb