Getting Past Daisy-Petal Faith

When life is going well, it can be easy to believe God is near and that He loves us. But when hardship comes, questions can rise quickly. Scripture gives us a firmer foundation. God’s love is not measured by changing circumstances—it was demonstrated once and for all through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. In this article, Jim Buchan reminds us why our confidence must rest in what God has said and what Christ has done.

When Circumstances Become the Measure of God’s Love

In college, I had a Christian friend named Keith who came from a very legalistic church background. He believed that if you sinned in even the slightest way, God would immediately revoke your salvation.

I’ll never forget the letters Keith would write to me during our summer break. “Dear brother Jim,” he would begin each letter, “I’m happy to report that I am still saved.”

Wow. I wanted to reply to Keith, “I’m still saved too … but I never doubted that I would be!”

Although I’ve never met anyone whose views are as extreme as Keith’s, I’m convinced many of us have a similar defect in our theology. Maybe we’re not worried about losing our salvation, but we mistakenly think our Heavenly Father’s love and favor are as fleeting as a butterfly and as fragile as fine China.

Or perhaps a better word picture is the way insecure lovers sometimes peel off the petals of a daisy to ascertain where they stand in their relationship:

“He loves me … he loves me not … he loves me … he loves me not …”

Do you see how misguided this approach is when it comes to your relationship with the Lord? Yet that’s exactly what you’re doing if you base your confidence in God’s love on your current circumstances:

You got a raise at work?
He loves me!

Your car broke down?
He loves me not!

You received an unexpected financial windfall?
He loves me!

You received bad news from your doctors?
He loves me not!

God Has Already Demonstrated His Love

Fortunately, you can stop this daisy-petal spirituality once and for all. Instead of continually wondering if God loves you or loves you not, you can simply believe what He tells you in His Word:

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

There are two primary reasons why this is fantastic news: First, God has already demonstrated His love for you through a past event—the death of His Son on your behalf. This means there’s no need to focus on your circumstances or peel off daisy petals to determine whether He truly cares about you.

Second, it’s important to notice that God didn’t decide to love you AFTER you cleaned up your act and got perfectly sanctified. Instead, He showed His love when you were still His enemy, living a life of sin and rebellion. As the apostle Paul concludes, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).

God’s Love Is Not Based on Your Worthiness

This shows that God’s love for you isn’t based on your worthiness but on the incredible worth of what Jesus did for you on the cross. Quite a difference!

Does God love you? YES, HE DOES! Does He want to show you His favor and bless you? YES, HE DOES! Is His love dependent on perfection on your part? NO, THANKFULLY NOT!

When you get rid of your daisy-petal view of God, you can finally REST in His love and mercy. Why? Because your relationship with Him is based on His grace “from start to finish”:

“So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:7–8).

Rest in What Christ Has Done

Are you ready to be showered with God’s grace and kindness? Then it’s time to throw away your unreliable daisy and believe His eternal love letter to you in the Scriptures.

Your circumstances will change. There may be seasons of blessing, waiting, disappointment, or suffering. But the cross does not change. God has shown His love through Jesus Christ, who died for sinners so that all who place their faith in Him can be reconciled to God.

If you have been measuring God’s love by what is happening around you, look instead to Jesus. Salvation is God’s gift, received by grace through faith—not a reward for being good enough or getting everything right. And if you have never placed your faith in Christ, today you can turn from sin, trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and begin a relationship with Him.

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