Finding True Love in a World That Doesn't Understand.

Finding True Love in a World That Doesn't Understand.

By Kateb Nuri-Alim Shunnar

It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to be unloved. I’ve been there—feeling like I was standing on the outside looking in, like there was a wall between me and the rest of the world. I’ve known what it’s like to care deeply for someone, to give everything you have, and still feel like it isn’t enough. It hurts, plain and simple. That kind of pain is sharp; it cuts deep. And if you’ve felt it too, I want you to know that you’re not alone in this. I’ve walked in those shoes, and I get it.

You might feel like giving up, like closing yourself off to avoid the hurt, and I wouldn't blame you for that. It’s natural to want to protect your heart. But here's what I’ve learned through my own journey: we can’t let this pain, this feeling of not being loved, break our bond with the Creator. The love of the Creator is different—it's not like the love that sometimes fails us in this world. It doesn’t change or disappear, no matter how often we mess up or feel like we’re not enough. It stays with us through it all, like a steady hand holding us up when everything else seems to be falling apart.

I know, though, that some people just don’t understand what real love is. I mean, maybe they’ve never had a chance to feel it themselves. Maybe they’ve only known the kind of love that’s tangled up in conditions—if you do this, if you look like that, if you give me what I want, then I’ll love you. But that’s not love. That’s a bargain. Real love, the kind that comes from the Creator, isn’t a deal to be struck. It doesn’t ask for anything in return. It just *is*.

I’ve seen it in my own life—how love can get mixed up with other things, like material stuff or physical attraction. It’s like we’re so busy looking for love in all the wrong places that we miss what’s right in front of us. And when those things don’t satisfy us, we think, “Well, that must not have been love at all,” and we walk away. We dismiss it, not realizing that we’re the ones who’ve missed the point.

If you feel like no one loves you right now, if you feel pushed away or forgotten, I just want to tell you that I see you. I really do. I feel that pain, and I know it can be a heavy thing to carry. But I also know that you are not defined by the love or lack of love you get from other people. You are not less worthy or less deserving because someone else didn’t see you, didn’t appreciate you, didn’t choose you.

You are loved beyond measure by the Creator, and that love doesn’t depend on anything or anyone else. It’s there in your mess, in your confusion, in your brokenness. It’s there when you feel invisible, when you feel like no one is listening. It’s there when you’re at your lowest, even when you’re convinced you’re unlovable. And it’s more real than any other kind of love you’ll ever know.

I know we can’t make people love us, and we can’t make them see us for who we truly are. But that doesn’t mean we should stop loving. It doesn’t mean we should shut down our hearts or build up walls so high that nothing and no one can get in. Instead, we can choose to lean into the love that’s always there for us—the love that created the stars, the oceans, the very breath we breathe.

So, when you’re feeling like you’re on the outside, looking in, I want you to hold on. Hold on to the truth that you are loved by something so much greater than what’s happening in front of you right now. You are loved by a Creator who knows every corner of your heart, every doubt, every fear, and still calls you “Beloved.” That’s powerful, isn’t it?

And don’t let anyone make you think you’re not worthy of that love. Don’t let the pain of feeling unloved here on earth turn you away from the love that flows from the Creator. This love is pure, it’s steady, and it’s yours, without conditions or prerequisites. It doesn’t ask you to be anything other than who you are.

I want to leave you with this: you matter. Your heart matters. Your story matters. Even when it feels like no one else understands, the Creator does. You are seen, you are valued, and you are loved. Hold on to that truth like a lifeline. Let it remind you that you are never alone. And when you’re ready, let that love fill every broken place and heal every wound. Keep going, keep loving, and know that the best kind of love—the truest kind of love—already belongs to you.