He thinks of you in the same way, and He wants you to know that.

This is how I came to know His love.

As a 7th grader, I met a guy named Dave, who was doing this thing called Young Life. Dave always came around my life and activities: sports games, drama productions, he'd even call on my birthday. Once a week Dave would get a bunch of us kids together at someone's house, sometimes his own, and we would play games like "The Jello Olympics" or "American Gladiators". After we were done spitting Jello cubes into a bucket across the room, Dave would talk about Jesus and tell us how much God loved us. I was never really interested in the "God" part of the evening (In fact I was most often there because I was a nerd and it was the only time I could be within 15 feet of a cute girl). Dave was about 35 and I thought it was weird that he was hanging out with kids so much. I figured he didn't have friends his own age, but in reality, God had sent Dave into my life, as well as the lives of many others, to show us how much God loved us.

I don't remember a single thing Dave ever said at those Young Life gatherings, but I do remember that for six years, Dave invested time in me and no matter what happened, he was always there. When I was cast as the lead role in the school play, Dave was there to celebrate my achievement. When I was on drugs and disinterested with life, Dave was there to influence me otherwise and let me know he still loved me. I know now it was not because he was such a great guy that he was so good to me, but because he wanted me to know God was there too… no matter what.

I am now in Dave's place, knowing the uncompromising, unending love of God. Because I know this love, I want to share it with those who don't know Him. Perhaps you are one of those people. I know you may be in the same place I was when I met Dave. Therefore, my words are simply that to you... words. I understand that. You may be like me, in that I needed to SEE it. I needed someone to not just tell me "Jesus loves me," but to show me with his or her actions. Maybe you have been burned. Maybe someone who calls themselves a Christian has treated you like trash, and it's left a sour taste in your mouth. No words can really heal that. In all honesty, I can only really offer you this: Ask God to make Himself real to you. Ask God to show His love for you somehow. You can use this prayer below if you would like:

God, if you are there I want to know you. I need to know you love me no matter what. Please show me. I have heard You love me so much that You sacrificed Your Son, Jesus, so I could have a relationship with You. I want to know that love as my own.

If you have just prayed this prayer, please e-mail kevin@realmagazine.com and we'll get you connected with some materials for furthering your new relationship with Jesus! Welcome to the real family.