I suppose that I should begin by wondering what is meant by love. You get all sorts of takes on it. For example, you could have someone who is very keen to do their duty for you if you are in need of help. But they might not be at all affectionate and might not give the impression that they’re happy to be in your company.
Or you might get someone who isn’t really gonna be there for you but is still delighted to see you and laughs out loud at your jokes 😀. Both can make you feel loved.
When I say “everywhere”, firstly, I am loved by God who is everywhere, and who has invited me to heaven to share eternity with him, and with millions of angels and fellow believers. That’s certainly positive.
But though human love is in no way as great as the love of God, I still generally feel loved when I’m among people. Sometimes people focus on fellow Christians, but I can feel loved by anyone, anywhere. When I walk down the street someone always smiles and greets me. Even dogs can be affectionate. Perhaps there have been times when I’ve been among people who haven’t showed me much love, but generally speaking, I do feel loved.
It’s very difficult to single out one specific example. Here’s a funny one. I remember buying a banana in a busy shop near Victoria station in London just as I was about to head back to Ireland. I eventually arrived at the busy checkout. The guy serving me looked at it and said, I’ll find you a better one. He left the checkout, and went and got me a better one. I just thought that it was very kind of him, especially given that I was happily gonna purchase the first one. It’s just nice to live in a society where people generally like to help each other. I’m sure that it’s not like that everywhere.
These verses come to mind in relation to God’s love for me.
John 15:13 (Jesus speaking on the night before he died for us on the cross)
13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Romans 5:6-8
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
And it’s not just a matter of believing that God loves me because I read it in Scripture. The Holy Spirit gives me a constant sense of His love:
Romans 5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
And here are six hymns about God’s love:
Hibernia Gospel 