If you’ve ever thought that finding just the right person for that special, forever relationship was like finding a needle in a haystack, that’s understandable. The world has more than seven billion people, and the chances of coming across that one individual are miniscule if we rely on our own efforts. Depending on popular culture’s definition of “true love” can be risky if we want a healthy relationship with another person. Thankfully, trusting God in this area can bring about some amazing results.

God loves us more than we’ll ever know, and He never meant for us to go through life alone. He’s the very essence of love; therefore, He’s uniquely qualified to teach us its real meaning. However, we can’t love anyone until we love, respect, and value ourselves, first. We’re made in God’s image, and He brought a miracle into the world the day each of us was born. “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:13, 14, NLT).

The love God has for us is nothing that the world can understand. It goes much deeper than feelings or emotions. It’s the most powerful force in the universe, because it comes from Him. “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NLT).

God chose to love and accept us before we were even born; He’ll always love us, no matter what we do. This knowledge enables us to love ourselves even when we make mistakes and bad choices. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Loving others the way we love ourselves lays the groundwork for healthy relationships.

Seeing ourselves the way God sees us helps us make wise choices and avoid toxic friendships. His kind of love is reflected in equal partnerships with mutual respect. His will is to express His love for us through a joyful relationship. Love—not a sense of neediness—should be the motivation for everything we do. “Let all that you do be done with love” (1 Corinthians 16:14, NKJV).

Forgiveness is another component of love. When others hurt us, we can either choose to hold a grudge and become bitter or resentful, or let it go and move on. Unforgiveness is painful and bad for any relationship. We can extend forgiveness to others because God has already offered it to us. “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31, 32).</.p>

There’s no love that’s any truer or more genuine than the love God offers us. He has put some wonderful things in us that no one else has, and He wants us to share these gifts with others. Accepting what He has for us opens us up to new possibilities we could never achieve on our own.