By: Matt Boness
“You say that you love me Don’t say that you love me ‘Cause I don’t know how to be yours You say that you want me Don't say that you want me 'Cause I don't know how to be yours” "How to be Yours by Chris Renzema
Chris Renzema sings those lyrics in the first stanza of his song, How to be Yours.
Those hit the heart hard. Read them again.
The ‘You’ that he is riffing to is God. God, love incarnate, is saying to us, his creation, his image bearers, his people, that He loves us.
And yet, we fight the words off like a pesky mosquito at a summer bar-b-que. Unwilling to accept the love of a father that we just don’t know if we are ready for. We don’t know how to truly fall in love with and be accepted by a God who only wants us to draw close. It isn’t hard, and yet our hearts keep telling us it is. It is too hard to be embraced by a God we don’t fully know yet. And so we are ashamed of the love shown to us and we reply “Don’t say that you love me” like a hurt significant other who isn’t sure they know how to love us in a moment of pain and anguish.
The motivation, however, tells us that it isn’t God’s fault. It isn’t God’s fault that we shake off his loving embrace, and feel ashamed of being so cared for in the first place. It’s our fault. We are the one’s unwilling to be accepted, loved and wanted.
Why? Past hurt. Inability to forgive ourselves for our past transgressions. Distrust of those who love us. We each have our own reasons. A myriad of reasons exist.
The challenge is to not forget and look past those histories of pain and broken trust, but to believe that all God really desires of us is to be loved unconditionally and wanted uncontrollably by a Father who only has our best interests in mind.
The bridge of his song concludes with the promise of God to us. A promise un uncompromising devotion to us regardless of the act and intention of our hard hearts toward Him.
So love me or hate me, I’m not going anywhere
Leave me or take me, you still bear My signature
Know me or not, seen or forgotten
I’m not walking out on you
You bear his signature. He is not walking out on you. He created you. He loves you. He wants you. And He stops at nothing to chase after you.