Maybe you’ve heard this saying before. “I love you—but I don’t have to like you.”

It’s the difference between a choice and a feeling. Really, what people are saying is, “I am choosing to love you—but my emotions are upset with you.”

I get that. Sometimes, it’s really true. Sometimes, I have a fight with someone or a misunderstanding, and I am upset. I don’t like them in that moment. But sometimes I take that too far, too. Sometimes, it sounds like people are saying, “You, as a person, who God created you to be—I don’t like her at all. But I’ll still pray for you sometimes, I guess.”

Even worse, sometimes I take that thought and project it onto God.

Growing up, I knew God “loved” me.

He died for my sins. He gave me salvation.

But did he like me or was he generally dissatisfied with me?

Yes, he loved me. But did he roll his eyes when he heard my prayers? Did he sigh, pull off his glasses and set his book down when I asked him for something? When I just wanted to spend time with him?

Yes, he loved me. But did he like me? Did it bring him Joy when he saw me making mud-pies with my brother and tracking a mess through the house? Did he like hearing me talk about my day or my favorite book series of the month?

Did God like me?

Growing up, I didn’t think so. It’s hard to imagine someone like God liking you when you don’t even like yourself. It wasn’t hard for the enemy to get into my head and convince me that, yes, yes, God loved you—but that doesn’t mean he likes you!

So, if you struggle with that concept, that idea…here are three reasons God doesn’t just love you, but he actually likes you too.

1. We are made in His Image.

I don’t think this verse applies in a strictly physical or spiritual sense. (in fact, there are a ton of verses about it. Check out a list of them here!)

I think it applies in more ways than we can ever imagine. His characteristics, his creativity, his imagination. All of those are things we have that I think God uniquely designed.

When we study the Word, we can see God’s character shining through. His justice. His creativity. His compassion.

No matter who you are, you share specific characteristics with God because we are made in His image. Why would God despise those parts of you?

2. He knit you together

We were knit together in the womb. It says so right here.

If you’ve been around babies for any amount of time, you’ll know that they are born with a personality. They may be tiny humans who don’t know much about the world yet, but they’re tiny humans. They are real people with thoughts and feelings and a personality—right from the beginning. They might not have the words to talk about it, but it’s there.

Do you really think that God didn’t create that part of you? That he wanted you to be a completely different person than you are today? That those tiny, little humans who have such a personality and light in them from the beginning…that that’s the result of our fallen and broken world? I doubt it.

3. Personal Experience

The older I get and the closer I get to God, the more I realize how much I don’t fully grasp His love for me.

I can’t count the amount of times I have gotten something important to me without ever praying for it. The amount of times I have prayed for something and seen God move!

The fact that I get to have a personal relationship with God—where I get to tell him my worries and my fears because he cares for me—because He wants me to have a relationship with Him blows my mind!

It’s hard for me to memorize scripture. The reference never stays in my head and if I don’t spend months on a single verse, it just won’t stick in my long-term memory. But there’s one verse that I spent countless hours memorizing, countless days meditating on, because it’s just that important to me.

Cast all your worries and cares on God for He cares for you.

1 peter 5:7

I want you to take special notice of that last bit. He cares for you. Put a different emphasis on those last four words each time you say it.

He cares for you. He cares for you. He cares for you. He cares for you.

No matter which way you say it, the truth remains. He doesn’t just love you. Even if he did, that’d be enough. But I’m so thankful that he doesn’t just love us. But that He likes us, too.

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