by Tracie Shellhouse, Vice President of Ministry Services
In the pregnancy help movement, we encounter women and families in some of the most vulnerable, complex, scary, and sacred moments of their lives. We sit with them as they weigh options, face fears, and wonder if there is any future on the other side of their present circumstances. We offer them compassion, truthful information, and practical support—but above all, we offer them hope. And at the very center of that hope is a truth that changes everything: God loves them. Deeply. Personally. Unconditionally.
Yet as we share this profound truth with those we serve, there’s a vital starting point that can’t be overlooked—we must believe and receive God’s love for ourselves.
His Love Is for You
It is far easier to talk about God's love than to truly live like we are loved. It’s common to pour out without pausing to be filled. We champion the value of others while secretly struggling to see our own. But the call to love others “as yourself” (Mark 12:31) means we cannot give what we do not first receive.
When we don’t fully believe and receive God’s love, we carry unspoken insecurities that quietly shape how we listen, lead, and serve. We must become comfortable being loved, not for what we do or how well we perform, but simply because we are His.
1 John 4:19 reminds us, “We love because He first loved us.” That’s where it begins—not with our strength or service, but with His initiating, freely given, sustaining love. We are loved. Chosen. Redeemed. Valuable.
His Love Is for Them
The women and men you serve must know they are seen and their stories–some heartbreaking, some beautiful, all sacred–matter because they matter. Their circumstances do not disqualify them. They are not forgotten. They are not beyond God’s reach. Their value isn’t earned. It comes from the One who knows everything about them–the good, the bad, and the ugly–and loves them fully and completely still.
Jeremiah 29:11 declares, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.’” These words are personal promises for each person you serve. God’s love remains steady, even in unexpected or difficult circumstances, and His plans remain good.
Helping clients understand their value begins with affirming their identity: You are made in the image of God. Your life is sacred. God loves you and has a purpose for you and your future. When we believe and receive God’s love for ourselves, we speak these words to others with an authenticity that reaches beyond the surface and introduces light into the darkness.
Living Loved to Serve Well
When we are rooted in God’s love, we know our worth, and we can call out the worth in others. When we live loved, we no longer operate from a place of lack. Instead, our trust in God’s love produces peace, which overflows from our lives into the lives of others. The mercy we extend reflects the mercy we’ve received. The grace we offer mirrors the grace that made us whole.
Romans 8:38-39 declares, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is the unshakeable foundation on which we stand. And this is the foundation we offer to every client who walks through our doors. Yes, we give information, provide services, and offer resources. But at the root of it all is God’s unshakable, unstoppable, unconditional love.
So, before you pour out again, take a moment. Sit still. Let God’s love heal what is wounded, affirm what is true, and empower what is possible. Let Him love you. Because when we believe God’s love for ourselves, we become living proof to others that His love really does change everything.
Receive it. Believe it. Now, go give it away.
