God is Love and I am a little iffy about it

"God is love and he who abides in love, abides in God, and God in him" 1 John 4:16

I read this today in "Experiencing God". "Understand this (God's Love) in its full dimensions will set you free to enjoy all that is yours as a "christian". But you must accept that God loves you." It then talks about if you grew up in a unconditional loving family that it might be easier for you to accept, but if love was void for you, it might be a little harder. "God loves you, not because you deserve, His love, but because, his nature is love. The only way he will ever relate to you is in love. His love for you gives you an inherent worth that nothing can diminish". That right there is enough to get the hamster wheels turning. This caught me off guard rather abruptly. I am not sure that I handle God's love this way, actually I know I do not handle God's love this way. I am sometimes, ashamed to take it because of who I am, not who God is. It goes on to mention that if you cannot accept the truth of God's love, then you are limiting your relationship with him. It puts us in a position that I have come to find pretty common in my life. That if God, disciplines, or say's no, or opens one door but not the other I tend to resent him for it, think he does not care about me. But in reality God is caring, and loving me with those decisions. His love is directing the life he wants for me, sometimes not the life that I lead. It also discussed that accepting God's love will in turn help you be able to love God and others with that same love. I question my nature when it comes to these ideas. It makes me wonder what is the hurt or pain that I have pinned between God and myself that blocks me from the true acceptance of love. What view of myself or skewed perception do I have, that I would be able to fight this perfect love. I think that understanding God's love and accepting God's love are very different things. Its a matter of the heart not the mind.

I hope those thoughts are clear. It is a very sobering issue I think. As always, I would love anyone's thoughts. I think sometimes when on an island, you would like to know that others are on an island somewhere else. It is amazing that when the God of the universe is knocking on the door, we have the audacity to stand behind walls.

Also, looks like the debate will go on. I think that they should scrap the questions, (which they may or may not really answer) and put on those big sumo suits and battle it out. I think that would make for good television. Obama V.S. McCain in Human Sumo.