0 President Lewis speaking to students on Houghton's campus.

God Loves You So Much | President’s Blog

March 23, 2022

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:9-11 (NIV)

To say I love being a father would be an understatement. I often say to my daughter, “Daddy loves you more than air.” It wasn’t love at first sight because I loved her long before I ever saw her. But when I did see her for the very first time—when I held her in my arms, and my eyes locked with hers—I felt something that I had never felt before, and my life has not been the same since. I don’t take a single day of it for granted. She is my sunshine, and I would do absolutely anything for her.

Taking Matthew 7:9-11 into account, I have come to understand and appreciate how much God loves us—loves me—in a new way. It is difficult for me to explain how much I love my daughter. But I am flawed, deeply. I fall short daily. I am made righteous only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. So, if it is difficult for me to explain how much I love my child (deeply flawed me), how much more must God love me, love us—God who is perfect and holy? I would give everything for my daughter’s wellbeing, but I am limited in every way imaginable. How much more would God, creator of the heavens and the earth, do for His children? Fortunately, we don’t have to guess. We know that God loved me and you so very much that He gave His only begotten son, Jesus, to walk the earth as both God and man at the same time and ultimately die a cruel death on Calvary’s cross for our sins. Why did God do this? Because He wanted to remove the chasm that separated Him from us, His children. Why? Because God desires more than anything to be close to us, to love us, to care for us, to heal us, to make us whole again. That’s love. Perfect love.

As I am blessed weekly to spend time with Houghton students, getting to know them and living in Christian community with them, I am reminded how hard it is to be a young person today. The 18–22-year-old period was no walk in the park for me. But the challenges college-age students face today are, in many ways, unprecedented. On top of the age-old stuff that young people have had to grow through for generations, college students today have new and increased challenges related to social media, culture wars, cancel culture, social unrest, extreme political polarization, fragmentation of the church and unrealistic pressure to be an idealized version of young adults that no one can actually live up to. Oh, and don’t forget about COVID-19 and all of its accompanying medical, social and political complexities. Being a young person today is really difficult. But there is hope.

Father holding his daughter in a bear hug

Students: If you are reading this and you are struggling, challenged, confused, misunderstood, unappreciated or unnoticed, I want you to know that God sees you and loves you so much. His love is not an abstract notion. I can personally assure you of how real God’s love is because I have the privilege of experiencing it myself.

Students…I want you to know that God sees you and loves you so much.

I first felt God’s love through His unmistakable presence in my late teens. It was a period of my life when I was searching, without knowing exactly what I was searching for. All I knew was that I needed something or someone that I didn’t yet have. I often felt lonely and not completely understood by anyone. I found, possibly like you, that no person or thing could fill the longing I felt so deeply—that is, until I asked Jesus to come into my heart and my life. My challenges didn’t magically disappear. People around me didn’t instantly begin to treat me differently. But I did begin to feel the presence of God and experience what it felt like to be wrapped within His love and comforted by Him as I went through my challenges. My life has never been the same. Never again have I felt alone. God is with me always. Even in my darkest hour and my most challenging trials, He has been there. He has walked with me, comforted me, reassured me and loved me in spite of my many, many faults and failings. God, your heavenly father, loves you so very much and desires more than anything to be close to you. All you need to do is open your heart to Him.

If you are reading this and the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart, you don’t have to wait to invite Jesus into your heart and your life. You can do it right now. Wherever you are, you can pray the below prayer. Be sure to come find me and tell me about it so we can celebrate your new life in Jesus Christ together.

Jesus,
I know I have messed up in my life. I have sinned, and that has created a barrier between you and me. I need your forgiveness.
I know I can’t do it on my own. I want to turn away from everything that I know is wrong. Right now, I choose to trust in you.
I choose to accept your free gift of eternal life, and I believe that your sacrificial death freed me from this sin-baggage I have carried for so long.
Please come into my life, renew me, love me and stay with me forever.
Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

President Wayne D. Lewis Jr.

About the Author

With 20 years of experience in education, higher education leadership is a calling for Wayne D. Lewis, Jr., President of Houghton University. He is recognized as being a champion for students; focusing on improving educational access, opportunities and experiences for students, including those who have historically been underserved.

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