Jesus said it best: Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little (Luke 7:47). The Lenten Season that focuses on penitence and being aware of the cost of Easter is the perfect setting for true sinners to experience deeper love for God.

The more God’s love means to you, the more you become aware of how far you have fallen. A soul that feels the depth of the love of God has no other response than to love God in a great way. Before we even get to the cross, death, burial and resurrection, the season of repentance itself brings great spiritual healing.

Did you wake up today amazed that God loves you as much as He does? If not, I’m not sure you are really serious about your repentance. Eckhart explains: “With the love of God, people will be able to accept and endure whatever happens to them. They will gently forgive the harm that is done to them. There is nothing else in human experience that will bring you as close to God or form a more certain bond. If you take this hook, everything about you belongs to God. The more hooked you are on God, the more freedom you will experience.”

How does getting hooked on God happen? If you find it hard to love God, take an honest look at yourself. The,n consider the cross of Christ and what sacrifice and suffering He endured to cover the sins you alone have committed. If you do this honestly, you will have no other conclusion than to consider what a wonderful God we love.

If you try that and still come up empty but you really want to know God’s amazing love for you, look within. Ask God to help you see Him. Ask Him to open your heart, mind and spirit to His presence, goodness and love for you. Don’t give up. Put feeling the love of God on your heart and don’t give up until you get it. Francois de Fenelon said,“ People think as they do because they do not know God. If they knew him they would love him.”

Experiencing the love of God is not simple. Your soul was created to live in His love and God wants to nothing more than give His love to you. Yet, everything in the world will draw you away from the reality of heaven and God’s love. But if you look through eyes that believe in God’s love, you will see that the world is full of the love of God. Honest repentance will lead you to conclude that you serve a wise, wonderful, loving God.