{"id":1175412,"date":"2025-12-17T21:06:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T02:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/?p=1175412"},"modified":"2025-12-16T09:20:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T14:20:29","slug":"you-dont-have-to-earn-gods-tenderness-his-love-is-unconditional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/rebecca-simon\/2025\/12\/you-dont-have-to-earn-gods-tenderness-his-love-is-unconditional\/","title":{"rendered":"You Don\u2019t Have to Earn God\u2019s Tenderness (His Love Is Unconditional)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve been conditioned to believe that love is something you have to work for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For so many human beings, that belief began in childhood, or it was formed through relationships where affection was conditional\u2014given only when you proved yourself, or were extraordinary. And so, over time, you started to equate love with effort. You started to believe you had to earn gentleness by being less messy-hearted, or less emotional, or less in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But God is not like the people who withheld their softness until you met their expectations. He doesn\u2019t ration compassion based on how well you\u2019re holding it all together. His tenderness isn\u2019t something you earn\u2014it\u2019s something you inherit as you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.<\/p>Psalm 86:15 (NIV)<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s heart does not close itself off to you when you struggle. He is not disoriented by your exhaustion or distant in your need. He is not waiting for you to become more put-together before He calls for you. His nature is grace. His default is love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Take one step closer to God by reading Christian books by Rebecca Simon.<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The world may celebrate independence, may champion strength, but God honors surrender. The most courageous thing you can do is come to Him as you are\u2014when you are unsure, when you are undone, when you are unfinished\u2014and let Him meet you there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a tenderness that God offers that your soul was made for. It is the kind of softness that doesn\u2019t shame your humanity, that doesn\u2019t discount your becoming, but rather, gently restores it. You do not have to hide. You do not have to prove anything. You do not have to earn the very thing He\u2019s been preparing to give you all along. All you have to do is reach for it, and watch as He reaches back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Find God. Change your life. Read books by Rebecca Simon.<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Short Prayer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

God, I\u2019ve spent so much of my life believing that I had to earn love by being stronger, or quieter, or more virtuous. Now, I\u2019m tired of performing\u2014I want to rest in the truth of who You are. Remind me that You are not cold or distant, but gracious and kind. Teach me how to receive the kind of empathy that isn\u2019t conditional. Help me to trust that I don\u2019t have to be more in order to be held by You. I am already loved. I am already Yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve been conditioned to believe that love is something you have to work for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161774534,"featured_media":1175413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"thoughtcatalog_call_to_action":"","tc_post_redirect":"","thoughtcatalog_is_sponsored_content":"0","footnotes":""},"categories":[603198233],"tags":[],"anchortext":[],"posttemplate":[],"adcampaign":[],"coauthors":[603230893],"class_list":["post-1175412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-help"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2025-12-15-Black-And-White-City-Skyline-At-Night-With-Lit-Office-Windows-Cross.jpg","author_meta":null,"photo_credit":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161774534"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1175412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1175414,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175412\/revisions\/1175414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1175413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1175412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1175412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1175412"},{"taxonomy":"anchortext","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/anchortext?post=1175412"},{"taxonomy":"posttemplate","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posttemplate?post=1175412"},{"taxonomy":"adcampaign","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/adcampaign?post=1175412"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thoughtcatalog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1175412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}