Not too long ago, my Aunt pointed out a small, easily overlooked word that completely shifted my understanding of one of the most well-known verses in the Bible. It was as though I was just beginning to grasp the true magnitude of God’s love. So… “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭ How many times have we read and quoted that verse and overlooked the word “so” and its significance? The word “so” in this verse is meant to convey the extent or magnitude of God’s love. It shows us the vastness of God’s love — a love so great that He gave His only Son. “So” conveys a powerful image of God’s love in action — it’s not just that He loved, but that He loved to such an extraordinary measure. When we grasp that God so loved the world, it shifts how we live. This love reaches into our deepest struggles and lifts us into grace and salvation. Guilt and shame are byproducts of a broken world — the same world that tells us our mistakes define us,