What does it mean to be cherished? How do we know that we are cherished? How do we cherish others?
To cherish means to hold something or someone dear, to protect and care for lovingly, to keep in one’s mind or heart. To cherish is more than to like or to love; it is to treasure, to value, and to honor.
We are cherished by God. He created us in His image and likeness, and He calls us His children. He knows us by name, and He cares for every detail of our lives. He loves us with an everlasting love, and He demonstrates it by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and to give us eternal life. He delights in us, and He rejoices over us with singing.
The Bible is full of verses that reveal God’s cherishing love for us. Here are some of them:
- Psalm 139:13-18: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.”
- Isaiah 43:1-4: “But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.’”
- Jeremiah 31:3: “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’”
- John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
- Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Ephesians 2:4-10: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
- 1 John 3:1: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
- 1 John 4:9-10: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
- Zephaniah 3:17: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
These verses show us that we are cherished by God, not because of who we are or what we do, but because of who He is and what He has done. He cherishes us with a love that is unconditional, sacrificial, faithful, and eternal.
We are cherished by God, and we are called to cherish others. We are to love one another as He has loved us, to value one another as He has valued us, and to honor one another as He has honored us. We are to cherish our spouses, our children, our parents, our siblings, our friends, our neighbors, and even our enemies. We are to cherish every person as a precious creation of God, made in His image and likeness, and redeemed by His blood.
Cherishing others is not easy, but it is possible. It requires grace, humility, patience, kindness, forgiveness, and generosity. It requires us to look beyond the surface, to see the potential, and to speak the truth. It requires us to listen, to understand, and to empathize. It requires us to serve, to support, and to encourage. It requires us to reflect God’s cherishing love in our words and actions.
Cherishing others is not only a duty but also a delight. It brings joy, peace, and fulfillment to our lives. It strengthens our relationships, our families, and our communities. It glorifies God, and it blesses others.
We are cherished by God, and we are called to cherish others. Let us live out this calling with gratitude and grace. Let us cherish as we are cherished.
