Article September 8, 1997 Issue

Unconditional love: is it a myth?

Mary Ann Livingston

Many of us are searching for love and belonging. But when we look to other people for love, we may find their affections lacking or dependent on a variety of "whens" or "ifs" or "buts." Even those who love us deeply and consistently may not meet our every need or always be at hand—no matter how willing they might be.

Are we headed for frustration and isolation on one level or another? No, not if we understand the Love that is God. God, Love, is present and always available, although we may not have stopped to consider what this really means.

The Bible is filled with stories of people who found God's love in the most desperate circumstances. In the book of Genesis we read of Hagar, the bondwoman who bore Abraham a son named Ishmael (see 16:15; 17:17; 21:1–20). Some time after, Abraham's wife Sarah, who was thought to be barren, gave birth to Isaac. But as Isaac grew, his brother Ishmael mocked him. So, Sarah demanded that Abraham banish Hagar and her son. And Abraham sent them off into the desert.

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