no greater commandment ...

Mark 12:31 - The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." I have contemplated this verse for quite awhile trying to unpack its elements. What does loving you look like?

So, if our greatest call is to love God and love others how do we get to the point that we can authentically make this happen ~ love ourselves, first?

In loving ourselves first we have to accept God’s love through faith. Simple words … tough concept.

We have to understand that God loves us. He really, really loves us… simply because we are His children. While I do not have children as of yet, I do have friends with children as well as my own parents for reference and what I do know is that parents just love their kids. They do not require them to be perfect. They do not expect them to get things right all the time. They do not love them any less because they make mistakes, often. If we, in our carnal ability, can have this limitless love why do we think our heavenly Father is any different?

Somehow we have this preconceived notion that God can only love us when we have all our crap figured out. We have this unrealistic expectation of perfection that must be achieved before we can go to our Father and simply accept His love. How did we get it so twisted? We, often, have much more grace for someone who continues to hurt us time and again than we have for ourselves. Why?

I confess that I am certainly a product of this. I have let the enemy sit on my shoulder and endlessly rattle off all of my offenses (for that day and beyond) and walk away feeling defeated; feeling like I have messed up too much to even approach God. This is a lie! And, it is keeping me and us from our greatest calling.

Today ~ I challenge you to take one small step of faith; to let go of your faults (even for 60 seconds); to tell your Father that you love Him; and, then, go love another?

a four letter word ...

L.O.V.E. It sounds innocent. It sounds endearing. It sounds enthralling.

Yet … it is not.

Love, in its true definition is a choice (aka a verb). It is work. It is turning the other cheek. It is 70x7. It is all that we hope for but sometimes fail to accomplish.

Love is an action. It is choosing to put the needs of another before our own.

Love comes in several different forms.

In the ritual of admiration from the opposite sex it is elating, euphoric, endearing and all consuming. It can drive you to the brink of madness both positively and negatively.

Yet, while I long for that fervent love from my (future) husband, God is calling me to walk out love to those around me; in my everyday life; to the (at times) unlovable. He is asking me if I am up for the challenge; if I am really able to walk out the love of Christ.

There are days I start out well prepared to walk in love. And, then, three hours into the day I begin to fail miserably. By the end of most days I feel so ill equipped to even talk about love let alone display it. 

But, I feel I am called to share this walk with you...

The dirty little word … No!

While it is very customary for the average public to tout four-letter words as if they were very much a part of the present day nomenclature; you throw this two-letter word their way and it brings most to their knees! Why? Why is it so hard to say no? And, why is it so hard for others to accept? I spend last fall with a great group of ladies studying this little word’s antithesis – yes; or, better yet, Your Best Yes (by Lysa TerKeurst). We really unpacked why so many have this horrid disease called the “Need to Please”. Candidly speaking, I do not suffer from this rare disorder in the form that most do. You see, I would say no first because I am not easily persuaded into things that take up my personal, valuable (aka me) time.

Weeks of understanding why most women said yes were much of the same reasons why I said no. In some respects, my no was just as passive as their yes. Both are rooted in fear. While others often dreaded rejection or judgment I became afraid that I would be held accountable for something I really did not want to commit to. In the end, both proved wrong because fear is not what God has for us. “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).

For some of us, we need to say no to things that are not substantial or align with our purpose so that we can make space for opportunities that are. For others, like me, we need to say no to those fears and attitudes of laziness that would hold us back from fulfilling our God-derived destiny so that we can confidently say yes to those things that will.

God?! Is that, really, You …

A thing or two that I have learned about hearing from God. 

1. Why can’t it be super simple?

I have to admit, I am a bit jealous of Moses. I mean, not only did he actually, truly see God with his own eyes but God spoke to him out of a burning bush; out of a pillar of cloud; the Bible even says that He spoke to Moses face-to-face as one speaks to a friend (Exodus 33:11). In my book, that makes hearing from God super straightforward. Fast-forward 2500 years and we are still yearning to hear from God but it doesn’t seem quite so simple. 

2. Actually, it just might be.

While I think we would all like the solidified confirmation of a shrub fire or a booming, ominous, distinct voice I believe that God speaks to us in a variety of ways … all which are contradictory to the resonating bellow of an audible vocalization. It is the power of the whisper that catches us at that exact moment. It is the check in our spirit when we are veering off the chosen path. It is the inexplicable series of events that supernaturally fall into place and give us favor.

3. Jiminy Cricket knew a thing or two.

Let your conscious be your guide. As the Holy Spirit lives in us He becomes our conscious and will help navigate us in all situations. And … insert the dreaded pause … surrender to it. Don’t ask why. This goes against the grain of all human nature especially the nature of women. But, we are not given all the answers to our whys. Actually, the more I learn the more I realize we are rarely provided with the why. We are asked to merely walk in obedience. 

4. Don’t look for human validation.

The first thing we tend to do as women is look to our closest friends for confirmation that we are not crazy. Joyce Meyer’s says that if it sounds crazy to you how do you think it sounds to others? No one is walking your path therefore why would we think our course would make sense to them? Walk to out; no matter how crazy it sounds; obedience is key.

5. Peace of mind.

No matter how ridiculous it sounds if we are walking in obedience we will always have resounding peace. We will not have to explain it. We will not have to justify it. We will just have to live … peacefully. And, that is the greatest place to reside.

6. Never lost … completely.

God will ALWAYS meet us where we are when we take one step of faith. Miraculously, He always shows up to do the rest. I have found that even when I missed His voice and wandered so far off course that I thought a Navy Seal would have to rescue me back to reality I found that God never left me. And, when I finally did take that one step of obedience He was right there with open, loving arms to bring me back to Him.

If we are truly looking, we will always hear from God!

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10:27

Surrender! Again and again ...

I have found that it is easy to do something once. I have even found that when we ask God for something He helps us do it although it may take us weeks, months and even years to walk out. But, I have also found that He asks us to do it again and again regardless of the timeline in which we comply. And, I think it is because it is easy to (finally) surrender something once. It is that repetitive sacrifice that may trip us up. When we come to God He asks us to give “it” with an open hand - not a clenched fist holding on for dear life. Is there something you are standing, holding before Him with a closed fist?

Romans 12:1-2 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Vision! Wait for it ...

We are riddled with the need for “right now” as the years and generations pass; as modern technology invades every area of our lives the want for “it” instantaneously becomes stronger and stronger. So, why is it that God gives us a vision years if not decades before it ever comes to pass? We have all been there, right? God puts a desire in our heart. Then, it begins to grow. It even begins to take on traction. All of the sudden God intersects with the (dreaded) … wait. And, we cringe. We cry out. Every fiber revolts against the delay because that is not how we have become accustomed to obtaining things. 

As I have walked this waiting game out (very intimately) for the past three years I have come to learn a few things. We all know the parable that good things come to those who wait. It’s true. When we have to wait or save or cultivate something for any extended amount of time we appreciate it so much more. I think that is how God has wired us. If He were dolling out blessings left and right we would become callous to them. We would not appreciate them or the One who gave them to us. But when we have to yearn; when we have to cry out for those desires of our hearts repeatedly God purifies that dream or blessing in us to ensure we are ready and mature enough to not only handle it but, also, appreciate it.

I feel vision is like those blessings. To be successful at something there needs to be countless hours of effort, sacrifice, obedience and much determination. I believe God places that vision in our hearts long before it comes to pass. Just as little kids, we all have a vision of what we want to grow up and become. It takes years in the making and many times our minds change to actually decide what that really is. We start with one career path in mind only to change our major in college (twice) before we graduate. Then, as if that wasn’t enough we need a larger degree in a totally different field because the first one just wasn’t working as we intended.

So why do we expect it to be any different with God? We are created to crave; we are wired to grow; we need to work toward something. Therein, lies the need for Vision.

What vision has God put in your heart? Are you cultivating relationships and works to achieve that vision? Are you continually working with Him to achieve all that He has made you to be?