Every now and then I need to be reminded that God loves me. And sometimes, that reminder needs to be a pretty severe kick in the head. Fortunately, God loves us enough to do just that.

A few weeks ago, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed with some things going on in my life. I decided to go for a drive to clear my head. I ended up down by a river somewhere south of where I live. I couldn’t tell you what river it was, I have no idea even where I ended up. In fact, I tried to find it again a few days ago and couldn’t. But it was beautiful. And it was just what I needed.

I didn’t plan on stopping but the scenery was beautiful, and the river bank was wide and clear, and looked like it would be a good place for a walk. So I stopped driving and started walking. I hadn’t made it too far when a big, mean looking dog came barreling out of the woods and joined me. He looked like a cross between a German Shepherd, a T-rex, and a grizzly bear. That’s how big he was.

His appearance kind of startled me, but he was a friendly pup, and he joined me as I walked along. It wasn’t long before I found the people he was with. I’m just walking along, and this guy, who owned a big, super-friendly but mean looking dog, who looked to be part grizzly bear himself, was sitting there with his feet in the water with a couple of other people.

I wasn’t in much of a mood to talk, or even be around people; after all, I was trying to clear my head and listen for God’s voice. But he looked at me and simply said, “Did you know that God loves you?”

That’s it. That’s all he said. Just that, and, “Nice talking to you.” What? We didn’t even talk! Just, “Did you know that God loves you?”

That caught me completely by surprise. Completely off guard. And then he got up and they walked off, taking his dog with them.

And that simple statement was just what I needed to hear right at that moment. I left there and found my way back home. I live in southern Missouri, and there are lots of hills. Every single time I topped out on a hilltop on that drive home, and saw a beautiful view of the hills and forests ahead of me, I heard a voice in my head saying, “Did you know that I love you? This view is just for you… right now… to show you how much I love you.”

Hebrews 13:2 states this: Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. I don’t know if that guy was an angel sent to me for that moment, or just some guy who needed a break from the day to day of his own life. But he was definitely used by God in that moment to communicate a simple message that I needed to hear.

My job was to listen, and now… to remember.

Did you know that God loves you?

Question: Do you need such a reminder? How has God shown you this truth recently? You can leave a comment by clicking here.