I Don’t Know Why I Love You, But I Do

There's been an Expedia commercial frequenting television for the last few months. Initially it showed a woman planning her family vacation, selecting all the things her family needs, even selecting a dog friendly hotel. Over the months it was shortened to show her just choosing a dog friendly hotel for what appears to be her private spa weekend. In both versions, you hear Clarence Henry sing the first line of "I Don't Know Why I Love You But I Do."

For the short ad's sake, it's cute, I suppose, but in context of the longer ad, it's rather startling: a woman is looking at her family and wondering why she loves them. What?

If my husband serenaded me this song, I wouldn't swoon.

Despite the recognition that we should know why we love people, I began to think about how often I have heard people imply that they don't know why they love God, myself included. I remember when I was baptized and my pastor asked if I wanted to say anything. I stammered out, "I just love the Lord." So why do we love God?

The best answer for that question is found in one of the shorter verses of the Bible, "We love because [God] first loved us" (1 John 4:19, NIV). It's that simple, but it's not always that easy.

Why, specifically, do you love God?

Because of His mercy?

Because of His generosity?

Because of His forgiveness?

Because of His creation?

Because of His gifts?

Because of His grandeur?

Because of His will?

There are many reasons, each needing to be considered and explored. Each could be a superficial response or  a heartfelt confession of your spirit. If you are not certain, the words of Jesus give us the answer: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7, NIV).