Breaking Free with Love

34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. John 13:34 (NLT)

Realizing how critical I can be and then almost demanding and expecting empathy from others was my breaking point. Something was amiss. How can I expect, and not just expect but practically demand empathy of others, if I, myself, can be critical and unsympathetic to others? Yes, perhaps, these people are missing the mark themselves. Perhaps they are just as critical. But I am not called to change others. I can only work on myself and pray for guidance. Only God can change those who are critical of me, who hurt me. Perhaps my example will prompt them to make changes, but seeing God in me, is what is prompting the change, not myself.

So I looked inward. What was at the root of my problem? I prayed for the answer to be revealed. God kept speaking to me and whispering the word love, learn to love, into my heart and revealing verses. Love seemed to be the main theme of all of them. But how do we love? Is it obtainable? The word itself is so easy to say, but anyone who has tried to love someone has came across a roadblock. We get hurt, we hurt, and we witness hurt. It’s so hard to love when you stop and think about it. Even well intentioned Christians, like myself, find themselves realizing they fail at this huge commandment. Huge? Yes, huge! Because if love was so easy for us to accomplish, if love was just a feeling and not an act and a choice, love wouldn’t be the number one commandment. We are constantly failing at this commandment. We look to others to fill the void, but when they fail us, we quickly dismiss them. We give up on friends and family because they don’t love us the way we want them to love, but we don’t know how to love, because if we did, would we be so exasperated at those who hurt us, who fail us? No, we would just keep on loving, keep on feeling compassion for others, and keep on praying for blessings upon them. Why is love so important?

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT)

We cannot try harder to love others, but God gave his Son to die on the cross to save us. Can you imagine giving your son/daughter up to die to save someone else? No! You don’t even want to go there, do you? I know I don’t! But this is how important love is to God. It’s not something we should take lightly, sweep under the rug, and leave to the uber Christians to deal with, it’s for everyone. I think we poo-poo this verse and forget its importance, because it's something church goers have heard and memorized for years. Stop and think about this. Under the law, we are toast. You will never make it under the law. The new law is love, Do you believe? Do you know for 100% sure you are going to heaven? If not, message me, let’s talk. Through Christ, you have it. You have the ability to love like Christ and with the power of the Holy Spirit, you can walk in it. Wouldn’t that be the day? When everyone walked in love like Jesus? Love is everything. Love is finding forgiveness. Love is moving on. Love is selfless. You have to take the higher road, turn that cheek. Chances are if you are finding yourself blocked, stuck, not moving. Lack of love is the key.

23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.[a]” Mark 11:23-25 (NLT)

Ohhh… no I didn’t! Yes I did. Forgive, stop the grudges. Choose love. Ask for help, you know He’ll give it to you and teach you the way. Let’s journey together. Take one person, you have a hard time loving and honestly try to love them. Pray for blessings on them, pray for them earnestly. Bless them, grin and bear it, show love, be love. Then once you won that battle, move on to the next! It’s a love revolution! Ready…set…GO!