Courage to Love
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. Mark 12:30
It takes courage to love, doesn't it? It feels vulnerable to open ourselves up to someone and love them completely. Have you ever wondered what stops you from loving someone fully – with all your heart, soul, and strength? I know there are degrees in which we love, for example, someone we just met or an acquaintance versus our children or spouse.
So, let's talk about someone who is really close to us, like a spouse or family member. What prevents you from loving them with everything you are? Maybe trust was broken, or something happened that is hard to forgive. Perhaps we had an expectation that didn't get met, and we got hurt or disappointed. Or maybe you have been so focused on your own life that you neglect that person's needs.
My point with that is this, we often treat God the same way. Even though God is good and only has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). I think a lot of the time, we get so busy with our lives that we neglect God. Sure, we might say a prayer or read the Bible, but that's not the same as loving Him with our heart, soul, and strength.
God created us because He wanted children with whom He could have a relationship. He made us so He would have people on whom He could lavish His goodness. Love is an action, and if God is love, He wouldn't be complete without giving His love away.
We are created in His image, which means we are also made to love – that is how we were designed to function the best. When we don't act in love, it's like running a car with no oil – the engine will get burned up quickly. Looking around, you can see a lot of burned-out people! Be sure you make loving God a priority – it's what we were created to do.
Dear Lord, thank you for your love toward me. Help me follow your example and love You with all my heart, soul, and all of my strength. Amen.
