Loved By Him (Shea Pirtle)

Love. It’s been a tricky word for me for as long as I can remember. I saw it modeled the wrong way when I was a little girl, and I went on to experience it the wrong way as a young adult. And when I say “wrong,” I mean it wasn’t love in the way God defines love.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It’s the most searched Bible verse in the world. Why? Because it reminds us of the very heart of our God, the creator and sustainer of all the universe. It tells us real love isn’t selfish. Real love gives. Real love puts others before themselves. Real love is Jesus Christ.

And you see, I didn’t just go looking for God’s love one day.  It came running towards me first.  His love chased me down when I was running the opposite direction toward things of this world. 

It’s this penned passage from David’s heart that reflects so much of what I now see of His love for me over my lifetime:

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The word “follow” in this passage is the Hebrew word Râdaph, it’s a verb that means to pursue, chase, hunt, or follow after. In other words, He pursued me.  He chased me.  He followed after me. His love is a love on the move. 

Sister, He follows after you, too. There is nothing He wouldn’t do to bestow His love on you.  In fact, He did all He could by giving all He had, which was death of His beloved son on the cross. And this love, it’s active and it’s present. It’s on the move in your life today.

It was this encounter with Jesus that redeemed my own view and experience of love. Jesus didn’t just say He loved me but He showed it. In His Word. In His presence. In His still small voice. Day after day, His love began to heal the broken definition I had carried for years. His love pursued me on my hardest days when lovable was the least way to describe me.  Some days it still does. And everyday without fail, He still does.

Being loved by Him has changed the way I’m able to love others. I’m a better wife, mother, servant to His people because His love isn’t turned off at me. It’s an overflow of His glory. Once I began to really receive His love, I finally had something to pour out. I don’t have to strive to be enough anymore because I simply stay close to the One who is.

So today, I rest in that love. I let it mend the broken places that like to resurface from time to time. And sister, they like to rear their ugly heads. But I bury my thoughts in His Word and my head to the floor in prayer, so I don’t forget the eternity-altering power of real love. 

Do you know THIS love? To be loved by Him will change everything. 

Take a few moments to let these lyrics of Katy Nicole’s “God Is Love” wash over you and thank Him for His great love:

“How great this love

Oh, it's moving all my mountains

This perfect love, it's casting out my fear

How great this love

Oh, it welcomes me like family

And anywhere I go, it meets me there

He is good, and He is God

What I earned, it's not what I got

And He is just, yet oh so kind

What I deserve, it's not what I find

What more could I say about Him?

My God is love

How great this love

Oh, it's faithful through my failures

This trusted love is with me 'til the end

How great this love

Oh, it's closer than a brother

This is love, He died so I could live”

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A little bit about Shea...

Shea is a pastor’s wife, mom, and founder of Just Breathe Ministries. She has been walking with Jesus since the age of 22 and has a passion for helping women encounter the life-changing love of Christ. Her family is committed to church revitalization, and her personal story is one of rescue and redemption. She shares her message of transformation—being brought from death to life—with the hope that others will encounter Him too.

Shea and her husband, Chris, live in Athens, Alabama, where they’re raising their daughters, Sophya and Raegan, and their son, Oliver, who joined their family through adoption. Shea advocates for her son, who has dwarfism, celebrating God’s unique design in every person. Whether writing, teaching, advocating, or sipping an iced latte on a Jeep ride, Shea lives by the words of Paul: “I believed, therefore I spoke.”