As a Christian, we are called to love. Although, that is a simple statement, it is not an easy task, at least not for me. My love for others is constantly being tested and honestly, I fail at it at times and I have quit on love and on people! Why? Good question, huh? Why do we fail to love others like ourselves? Well, because love has to begin with the other person and not ourselves. In fact, the truth is, Love begins with God and flows from Him through us. It is a supernatural gift that supersedes anything we could imagine as humans. Without God, we can’t truly love. God loved us first; therefore, we can love others. Either way, love is a choice. Notice I said “choice” because in fact it is a choice. It is not a feeling. I will say that again, it is not a feeling! Feelings come and go, but true love remains faithful. Feelings can change like the direction of the wind. It can be fleeting, leaving us with emptiness.
Every day, we are given a choice to love someone. Will it be “us” that we love more or others? For most of us, including myself, it is easier to love myself more. Why is that? Well, for number one, I am not a risk. At least when loving myself that is. However, I might be a risk for someone to love me. I know where I stand and I am in control of myself. It is not a risk for me to trust myself. However, it is a risk to love someone else. It is a risk to trust someone else with our hearts. Why? People hurt people. Or it has been said, “Hurting people hurt people.” Well, the truth is, we are ALL hurting people. In some way or another, we have all failed at love and love has somehow failed us. Our hearts are bleeding out and we ALL need healing! This is the risk and so you have to ask yourself in the end, is the risk worth it? Is loving others more than ourselves worth it?
Jesus thought so. In fact, He BELIEVED in love so much that He died for the cause! Now that is a scary theory. His love conquered all! His love empowered all. His love was faithful. His love was complete. His love was endless. Most of all, His love for us was not a risk, it was an investment for eternity..To Him, we were worth it!
I don’t know about you but that is the kind of love, I want to experience. And it is the kind of love I want to extend to others. It is the kind of love that never fails. It is the kind of love that has no expectations. It is the kind of love that is selfless. It is the kind of love that is freeing! However, in and of myself, I can’t achieve this kind of love on my own. It takes surrendering “myself” daily. Surrendering my rights, my feelings, my thoughts, my pride, etc…basically, my life! It should always be about others and not myself! Or more so, it should always be about God!
I want God’s love! I want it more than anything because it is the one thing I hold as truth. It is the kind of love that is endearing. It is the kind of love that brings me hope. It is the kind of love that I know in the end, is worth the risk.
How do I get this love? Simply by believing in the One in Whom God sent, Jesus. From that choice, love flows. Love is a choice and the choice is Jesus.
What I am learning these days about love is this. First of all, love is a commitment. My commitment is to God first. We can all love others better when we commit with starting with a relationship with Jesus. Why this is important is because when we can rest in His love for us, it makes it easier to love others and when others fail to love us. It somehow does not matter any longer because we have God, who won’t fail us. God’s love is complete and it does not lack in us. We must find a way to tap into that daily. Our expectations should be in God and not people. Somehow, we all have been lied to. People can’t complete people because of our sinful nature and our need to be selfish.
The second thing I am learning about love is not only does it begin with God, but it never ends with me! That is right, whenever love is taking a look at how” I” feel, I just failed in it! Love is always about the other person! This is a hard concept to learn and to act on. It begins with abandoning our feelings, our emotions, our rights, our lives!
Thirdly, I have learned that love will fail because people are human and they are not perfect. However, God’s love never fails. So, if you are looking to people for love then you are looking in the wrong place, people will fail you! I know, I know, that is a tough truth to embrace, but it is true. God is the only person who can complete us. This makes sense because He is the ONE who knows our hearts inside and out. He knows what each if us are longing for. He knows what each of us is thinking before we even think it. He was part of our beginning and will be there in the end. God is LOVE!
My goal these days is simply this, I am crying out to God to help me be faithful to love Him, so that I can love others. I am trying not to look to others for love but instead look to God to fulfill me in any areas I am feeling need in..I am placing all my expectations on Him. God is not a risk, however, He is a choice, but a choice that I know will be the best thing I ever did! Let love abound in you today and let love lead the way!
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