“We love because he first loved us.” —1 John 4:19 (ESV)
I want to begin our 11th issue by saying, God loves you.
I know what you’re thinking: that sounds so cliché. Like something written on a frayed scrap of cardboard and carried meaninglessly through busy streets. When you read the words, they feel like stale air—weightless, lacking, and unprofound. But once you understand who God is, what love is, and who you are, “God loves you” is a statement that can radically turn your life upside down. As one of our poets describes it, once you experience the saving power of God’s love “The constrictions in your chest loosen, / Fervent rivers flow together, / vivify the dead ocean. / Worms in your head die, / you pass them.”* This is no light matter. This is no “well-meaning parent holding your hand and affirming all your life choices” kind of love—this is a “you are dead in your sins, and I’m going to bring you back to life” kind of love. This is a “you are groping in rotten muck at the bottom of a dark pit, and I’m going to pull you out and show you how to live” kind of love. This is a serious love, brought to you by the Being who invented the universe and created your soul.
The clearer you see God for who He is, the clearer you can see yourself. You’ve failed Him (we all have). You’re a selfish little sinner (we all are). But the good news is, He still loves you. He’s waiting for you. And if you call on Jesus, look for Him, seek Him with your whole heart, you’ll find Him—and all the love that comes with Him. This former atheist can attest to that.
In Issue 11, you’ll witness many of our writers and artists encounter divine love. They’ll accept it, fear it, reject it, flirt with it, and look at it with a skeptical side-eye. Through their different styles and stories, I hope you’ll see that God’s love carries weight. I hope you’ll see that when He loves you, He is restoring you—no matter how painfully—to Himself. He is working in you for your ultimate good and His purposes. Accepting His love does not mean a perfect life, but it does mean that you are held—dragged, humbled, and molded like clay. And with that painful shaping comes joy, rest … and peace. With the rejection of His love comes nothing but emptiness. God loves you. I pray that Issue 11 walks you through that experience with the proper intensity of such a statement.
Thank you to the writers, poets, artists, and photographers who contributed their beautiful work to this issue. I am extremely blessed to be a steward of your fine work. Thank you to Katie Yee for her consistent hard work and thoroughness when reading through submissions and issue drafts, even during busy seasons of life. Thank you to my husband and family for their continuous encouragement and support. Thank you, Jesus, for revealing Yourself to me when I sought you and for loving me.
And, of course, thank you for reading Heart of Flesh. I hope this issue speaks into your life and glorifies the God who loves us.
Veronica McDonald
Editor/Founder
* “After You Believe” by Phil Flott, Issue 11.
Next (Nicole Bird) >
Back to Issue 11
Image: Job by Veronica McDonald (2024), acrylic on Gesso board. All rights reserved.
Heart of Flesh Literary Journal 