Charles Shultz, creator and author of the Peanuts comic strip, often conveys a Christian message in his humor. In one strip, he conveyed through Charlie Brown the need we all have to be loved.

Charlie Brown and Lucy are leaning over the fence speaking to one another:

Charlie Brown: "All it would take to make me happy is to have someone say he likes me."

Lucy: "Are you sure?"

Charlie Brown: "Of course I'm sure!"

Lucy: "You mean you'd be happy if someone merely said he or she likes you? Do you mean to tell me that someone has it within his or her power to make you happy merely by doing such a simple thing?"

Charlie Brown: "Yes! That's exactly what I mean."

Lucy: "Well, I don't think that's asking too much. I really don't."

Standing face to face, Lucy asks one more time, "But you're sure now? All you want is to have someone say, 'I like you, Charlie Brown,' and then you'll be happy?"

Charlie Brown: "And then I'll be happy!"

Lucy turns and walks away saying, "I can't do it!"

The need expressed by Charlie Brown is one that we all feel -- the need to be liked, the need to be loved, the need to be accepted. As a result, we do a lot of things to try to get those things from people around us, but we often find ourselves rejected.

Fortunately, there is Someone who will say to us, "I love you! Not because of what you've done. Not because of what you're going to do. I love you unconditionally because you're my child. And nothing can ever happen that will ever change that. Even if you mess up, I will still love you. Even if you don't love me in return, I will still love you."

Charles Schultz was right when he put the words in Charlie Brown's mouth. That's all we need to know in order to be happy. What Lucy was unable (or unwilling) to do for Charlie Brown, God has done for us. It makes a difference in how we see ourselves. It makes a difference in how we relate to God. It makes a difference in how we relate to people around us.

"Very few people will die to save the life of someone
else. Although perhaps for a good person someone
might possibly die. But God shows his great love for
us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.  So through Christ we will surely be saved
from God's anger, because we have been made right
with God by the blood of Christ's death. While we
were God's enemies, he made friends with us through
the death of his Son. Surely, now that we are his
friends, he will save us through his Son's life. And
not only that, but now we are also very happy in
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him
we are now God's friends again."
(Romans 5:7-11, NCV)