I like to read books that help me understand myself better, and one of the interesting facts I've run across is that if you grow up not liking yourself, then you'll always have a hard time liking other people. Does this mean someone like that can't love God either? — Mrs. A.N.

No, it doesn't—not at all. Admittedly, some people may have a harder time than others learning to love God; if you grew up thinking everyone disliked you, for example, you may end up falsely thinking that God doesn't like you either.

But no matter who we are or what our background has been, the greatest discovery we can ever make is that God loves us just as we are, and He wants to welcome us into His family just as we are. Others may fail us or even abuse us—but God never does, because His love for us is constant and beyond measure.

How do I know this? I know it for one reason: Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, was willing to give His life so you and I could be forgiven of our sins and spend all eternity with Him in Heaven. Listen: If you had been the only person on earth who needed to be saved, Jesus Christ still would have been willing to die for you. God loves you that much! The Bible says, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

Don't let your feelings of worthlessness, or anything else, keep you from Christ. Down inside we all yearn to be loved, and even when others don't love us—or even if we don't love ourselves—God still loves us. Respond to His love today by asking Christ to come into your heart and life—and He will.