When You Don’t Feel God’s Love: 5 Practices for Going Deeper in Your Relationship With God

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When You Don’t Feel God’s Love: 5 Practices for Going Deeper in Your Relationship With God

“I don’t feel God’s love.”

Have you ever said or thought these words?

If so, you’re not alone. Many times I’ve struggled with the disconnect between knowing that God loves me and actually feeling His love.

It might be tempting to brush aside the discomfort of this disconnect and get on with the responsibilities of life. “After all,” some say, “love is an action, not a feeling.” But if you look closely at the love displayed in the Bible, it’s clear that it’s not just rote responsibility—it’s also passionate emotion...

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A Simple Way to Develop a Deeper Understanding of God's Love

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A Simple Way to Develop a Deeper Understanding of God's Love

…I know it’s completely appropriate for me to sing to God in this way, but for God to sing such words of passion to me—simple, humble, human Carina? He really loves me this much? He really adores me? It felt almost sacrilegious to believe that He would sing to me like this…

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How My Hometown Reveals A Little Hint Of What We Have To Look Forward To In Heaven

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How My Hometown Reveals A Little Hint Of What We Have To Look Forward To In Heaven

This past Sunday we celebrated Summer Solstice--the longest of our long summer days--and so this week I decided to share an article I wrote a couple years ago that was originally published in my local newspaper. In it, I reflect on the beauty of our light-filled summers and how they give us a glimpse of eternity to come…

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Praying This Bible Verse Transformed My Experience Of God's Love

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Praying This Bible Verse Transformed My Experience Of God's Love

Do you know God loves you but struggle to feel it?

I can relate.

I remember driving home from church one dark winter night in my twenties, my heart troubled by my lack of experience of God’s love on an emotional level. I knew God loved me, but sometimes, inside, I felt as cold as the shimmering snowbanks flying by my car. I longed to actually feel, warmly and deeply, God’s love…

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I Long To Be Loved And Enjoyed. Jesus Used These 3 Verses To Show Me That He Does Too.

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I Long To Be Loved And Enjoyed. Jesus Used These 3 Verses To Show Me That He Does Too.

We all want to be loved.

I think the popularity of Valentine’s Day (I hope you had a great one, by the way!) is a testament to our intense desire to belong to a special someone who will love us unconditionally and make our hearts complete.

I’m well acquainted with that longing for love, and I’ve tried for years to fill my heart with the of love friends, family, and my husband. But as wonderful as these relationships are…

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How Jesus Really Feels When You're Upset

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How Jesus Really Feels When You're Upset

I somehow have this subconscious perception of God as stoic, serious, and stern. Thankfully, God has done a lot over the years to change this perception, but sometimes I still find that when I’m in emotional pain or am struggling with a problem, I feel guilty. Deep down, I think I should be stronger and I fear God is displeased with me…

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Jesus Saved Me From a Life of Self-Hate

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Jesus Saved Me From a Life of Self-Hate

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I used to write mean things about myself in my journal. This week, I decided to get really real and share a few actual quotes.

So (deep breath), here’s a peek at what my 15-year-old self was saying:

“Why am I like this…?”

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God is Sending You Love Notes. Have You Been Noticing?

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God is Sending You Love Notes. Have You Been Noticing?

Not long ago, I was driving down the road on a bright winter day when movement on the shoulder ahead caught my eye. At first I thought it might be a fox. I slowed down to take a look and quickly realized that the animal was too big to be a fox. Was it a dog…? As it trotted across the road, my heart jumped. I saw, to my shock, that it was a lynx!

I’m sure my eyes were bulging like a startled pug’s. I’ve never seen a wild lynx, and I had long been asking God to let me see one of these stealthy forest cats…

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When You Know God Loves You, But You Don't Feel It

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When You Know God Loves You, But You Don't Feel It

I grew up knowing about God’s love. My pastors preached about it at church, my teachers taught about it at school, and I read about it in my Bible. But I haven’t always felt it.

In my late teens and early twenties, I struggled with the disconnect between my knowledge of God’s love and my experience of it. I started talking to God about how I felt (or rather didn’t feel) and I began praying to feel His love more…

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My Favorite Valentines are not What You Might Expect

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My Favorite Valentines are not What You Might Expect

My favorite Valentines haven’t been cards with cuddly kittens on the front or boxes of chocolate (though I do enjoy those too!).

It might sound funny, but my favorite Valentines have been sunrises.

I received my first one—at least, the first one I actually realized was addressed to me—a few years ago...

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