Over the years, as I have grown closer to each member of the Holy Trinity, I have been blessed to come to understand the distinct ways in which God loves me as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Recently, I have been reflecting on what it means for me to love as they love—not as a Whole, but as each Person uniquely loves.

“Loving as Jesus” is a common phrase, and I feel I have received lots of examples and instruction on what it means to love as Christ loves. Loving as the Holy Spirit is perhaps more nuanced, but loving in my giftings, loving freely, and having a spirit of generosity has drawn me in to understand how I can give of myself as the Paraclete does. However, loving as the Father loves is the new way that God is teaching me to be like Him.

Historically, I have looked at the love of the Father as something to simply receive, and that has been my posture in relating to Him. As time moves on, and I try to draw closer to Him, He is teaching me that I have a call to love the way He loves as well. This can mean so many things, and He is always doing something new, but to speak the heart of the Father to others is to give affirmation of who they are in his eyes, regardless of my own opinions and experiences. It means to invite others into freedom and wholeness of life by standing firm in truth and love simultaneously, and to boldly forgive when I have been wronged.

To love like God holds many facets, and to love like Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has different elements, all of which are needed in the world and needed for the people we encounter on a day-to-day basis. Let us pray that when others receive us, they receive all of God, not just the aspects that we find most comfortable.