Doctrine and Covenants 95:1

"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you—"
Doctrine and Covenants 95:1


This is good.  I think it is interesting here how God explains his love for us a little bit.  He's saying... I love you, but it might be hard sometimes and here is why... God doesn't love us in a shallow way where he just approves of everything that we do and lets us destroy ourselves without knowing that we are doing it.  He doesn't just accept us for who we are, but also knows when we are "opposing ourselves" (from yesterday's scripture) and when we are making ourselves unhappy.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.  He knows who we were before this life... he knows who we are now, so much better than we do most of the time... and he knows what is going to eat away at our souls.  So, when we do something that is dangerous, he warns us.  And not only that, but he prepares a way for us to get out of the danger.  Too many times I think we expect love to be something else... to be like the bumper sticker that says "my country, right or wrong" ... sure, it's still your country, but shouldn't we try to support what is right and not what is wrong?  Do we let children do whatever they want, all the time, because that's what love is?  No.  That isn't what it is.  It's teaching kids to avoid things that will hurt them, and helping them to understand who they are and where they are in the world, so that they can make better choices.  The same thing that God does, only he knows a lot more than anyone else, and can do it a lot better.