As I watched a Bible study video session, a question spoke loudly to me:

Who has loved you well, and what did that care look like?

My first thought was—my ex. He loved me well…until he didn’t.

But that doesn’t rob me of the blessings of when he did love and care well. Yet the way he betrayed my trust and fractured my life severely weakened that love and destroyed the connection. The intensity of the lack of love at the end stripped me of love—but only from him.

All those thoughts fluttered in my mind in a matter of fleeting seconds. What flooded my mind and heart afterward was much more stable and enduring. Because love is still in my life. It is rooted deeply. Perhaps my ex is the first one who came to mind when I heard the challenging question, but the effects of others’ love is much stronger.

My mom and dad and other family members have loved me well. My friends—such very good friends—love me deeply. I don’t know how to describe the depth of my friends and their goodness. The more life I’ve shared with friends and family, the deeper and broader my experience with love has been. As we’ve journeyed the highs and lows, our bonds deepen. We care more thoroughly because we know more authentically. We grieve more deeply because we know what we are missing. We heal more thoroughly because we encourage and comfort well.

Who has loved me and cared for me the best? Without a doubt, God. He is the one who has provided the relationships I have. He is the one who has healed me when others have tried to break me. He is the one who is love and care and goodness. When I trust him to guide all other relationships, he provides the purpose within them. When I trust God to be and define love and care, I follow him and grow through the twists and turns.

Seek him and know him. He loves you well.