What is god's love like?

We say, God loves us unconditionally, What exactly does that mean, and how does God love us?

Unconditional Love
What actually does that mean ? To some it means they can do whatever they
choose. Is that what God had in mind for us?
If you have a child, do you demand something of that child, before you can
love them> Or do you love them, just because they are your children?
Some parents do demand performance before they will release their love
to their children, but, God is not that way. He loves us period. We do not have to
earn it, and most of us surely don't deserve it, but, that does not change Gods
love for us. It is simply there. No matter what.
He tells us in his word that nothing can seperate us from his love, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things above the earth, nor things below the earth. Even when we are disobedient, he still loves us.
To us, the meaning of love is tied most of the time to our being able to get our way and do things the way we want to. But, is that what Gods love means? Or could it mean something different, than what we have understood so far?
Could Gods love mean that he knows better than we what we need
and is willing to let us struggle like the butterfly on our way to developing
into the person that he knows we are capable of becoming?
Gods character is perfect without flaws> but, what about us.
Are we perfect? Do we have flaws? Can those flaws be overcome?
Does God desire perfection, on our part? By trading his nature, for our
sin nature at the moment of conversion, what does he hope to achieve?
Is he looking for a reflection of himself, in us?
How does God act? Randomly, without a plan? Or is he perfectly
controlled, with order very much a part of who he is? Could it be that if
we partake of his spirit thru prayer and meditation that we become
like him? By following the precepts laid out in his word, can we bring order
to our world?
Can we learn dependance upon God, without continually going our
own way wearing ourselves out in the process? Gods word, offers us peace,
in the midst of the trials. Victory when temptation comes knocking. Healing,
when we are faced with sickness. Comfort, when we are hurt, or lonely.
Forgiveness, when we fail to do what we ought to. Deliverance, from things
that torment.
These are all great rewards that are often overlooked, as we continue
to go our own way, seeking , we know not what. Our restless nature always
looking for the greener pasture on the other side of the fence. When God is
waiting for our submission to his will so that he can satisfy us with himself.
He wants to provide but we have to come to a place of acceptance for this
to take place.
Can we be still long enough for him to infuse us with his
nature? Can we come to the place where we can trust his provision, his
direction, his plan for our lives? Can we turn our stubborn will over to him,
rather than insisting on our own way? He loves us enough to give his sons
life in exchange for ours, purchasing us back from the enemy whose control
we had come under thru our disobedience. Would anyone of us, do that for
another? His words says that there is no greater love, than that laid down
for someone else. All the selfish motivation, is gone, when or if, we should
do this, for someone other than ourself. True love, in action. Not the cheap
imitation, that we call love today.

I think it shows in the Blessings He bestows upon our lives - during our lifetime and every day - shows through His wonderful Promises that we have to look forward to - shows through His amazing Grace upon our lives (His guidance/protection) - and the fact it is His Love is actually so vast, our minds/hearts cannot comphrend because it's beyond our capabilities...my belief.

that means he loves as our father and loves us no matter what we do I beleive thas how he loves us but also beleive we only get in to heaven if we love him back

Hes our father and without him we'd be in Hell

Unconditional love SHOULD be what we parents give our children. We can't get it right all the time, because we're human, but we should always let it be understood that:

'I love you because I love you, I love you because you're my child;'

NOT

'I love you because you do what I say, I love you because you're pretty, I love you because you get good grades...'

People who have had more-or-less unconditional love from their parents are ready to be open to God's unconditional love. People who've suffered from no love, or the sort of conditional love I describe above, find it very hard to take in the reality of God's unconditional love for them. I guess they have the same problem in human relationships.

And we Christians need to be careful that we don't lace God's Good News with conditional love e.g.

'God will love you if you become like me, God will love you when you clean up your act...'

I know we KNOW that that's not the truth, but we need to constantly pray that we don't fall into that very human trap of putting conditions on God's unconditional love.

And for the record, I am so grateful to God for His unconditional love for me and everyone else. Phillip Yancey says: 'There is nothing I can do to make God love me more. There is nothing I can do to make God love me less'.

Thank you for this question, Silverwings.

God loves us so that He sent his only son to die a horrible death and to take upon himself the sin of the world so that we may be saved from eternal damnation, and no creature save man can make such a boast for we are the children of God. To make a comparison to that of the love shared between a mother and child is blasphemy. God shows His love not by letting do as we will, but by giving us the tools and guidance that we need to be saved.