Have you had someone who loved you so much that you feel warm and fuzzy, and even to the extent of being grateful because no one has loved you this much? All this despite the fact that you have hurt him/her countless times.

Last morning, I had this warm and fuzzy feeling that welled up deep in my soul. It felt so good.

The secret?

I read Psalm 103:8-14. It was about knowing God as a selfless Lover.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

(Italics for emphasis - my own)

Maybe because I have studied Shakespeare's play "Measure For Measure" before.. In the play, an appropriate punishment was advocated to be meted out for a crime, that's why I was particularly moved that God does not treat us as our sins deserve.

Our justice system tells us that we ought to be punished according to the seriousness of the crime too.
Murdered someone? Death penalty
Trafficked drugs? Death penalty
Committed rape? Painful strokes of cane and decades of jail term

But God's justice is tempered with mercy (just like what Shakespeare was trying to bring out in "Measure for Measure") for He knows and "remembers that we are dust" (mere imperfect humans).

If God were to treat me according to my sins, I think my life will be totally screwed up.

But no... He understands that I am merely dust, temporal, imperfect, so He overlooked many things, as long as I fear Him as God.

How many times have I been punished because of the things I did?

I remember I was made to kneel on the floor for half and hour because I refused to go to school in K2. I was scolded badly by my dad because for my Primary One Chinese exam, I scored a mere 71 due to careless mistakes.

But here, God is telling me He does not punish me according to the things I've done, contrary to what the world shows us. From that moment on, I felt so loved.

Such unconditional love... It feels so good, and the best part is, everyone and anyone can experience it if you're willing to open your heart to receive His love.