Called to love

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

John 15:12

You can listen to this blog by clicking above

The end of last year I took a solo trip to celebrate my 30th birthday. It was a trip that I decided I wanted to do for myself after going through a few things that made me feel like I needed to set a goal and stay focused. My goal was to spend my birthday alone exploring places I’ve never been to before. Many people called me brave for this trip, but I didn’t really feel brave. I felt like I had a yearning in my heart that was telling me to go, plus a curious nature that pulls me into different directions. I went on this trip with research behind my belt feeling confident that I would be okay, and guess what? I was okay. I came back in one piece. I saw some pretty cool things, met some cool people and made it home. Traveling alone is not what I’m afraid of. What I am afraid of does not compare to a solo trip. What I’m afraid comes to me in nightmares, triggers, and anxiety. What I’m afraid of may not look the same to you as it does for me, but one thing that as believers we always have is something stronger than any fear we could ever imagine, What we have is a powerful force who is always with us, who understands the struggles, traumas, hurts, and experiences that come with being human.

I can never convince anyone to become a believer that is not job. Share the gospel? of course, but still it’s the Holy Spirit who does the convincing. My command is the one above, as Jesus says, “my commandment is that you love one another as I loved you.” Many times we can say this empty handed as if it’s a nice thing to say and then once you’re tested, are you truly feeling like you’re living up to that? To love one another? I know I’m not. When we go to heaven God is not going to ask us about our jobs, money, homes, or whatever else we leave behind. He will be asking us what did we do? What did we do? And can we say that we loved others well? Loving others is so incredibly understated of how difficult that can be for people who struggle with basic trust. How can you love when fear is all around you? I’m not trying to be subtle either, fear is in the media, social media, news, YouTube, it’s in our family history, or if you’re lucky it isn’t. It’s in the damages people do to others, it’s in unforgiveness, regret, and resentment. So you can’t tell me that God wants us to slap a “love one another” sticker over our hearts and expects us to follow suit. It’s a lot more human messy than that, and I am here for it.

Loving one another is the most difficult thing to do, but it is the command that we’re called to do. To be humble and kind, forgive, and lose the resentment. I’ve realized all that I’ve mentioned can be such a long process to fully heal and fully let go. It takes patience, persistence, and practice. Choosing to love takes more courage than we think. The more we practice, the better we get. So let’s practice loving one another by being a little more patience, and a lot less hateful.

God bless you.

Have a blessed week ahead of you.