“This is my command: Love each other.” ~Jesus Christ (John 15:17)

Have you ever felt so incapacitated when it comes to love, especially the ability to truly love others? …without expecting anything in return?  Have you ever felt sick and tired of being sick and tired? …being stuck in a vicious cycle?  Well if your answer is Yes, then know that I feel you! I can certainly understand what it feels like to feel incapacitated and to be sick and tired of allowing that to rob me of pursing my God-given dreams. One of the dreams I had before I even entered into a relationship with Jesus was to be able to experience true unconditional love and then to express that love to others.  Interestingly enough the two greatest commandments are to first love God and second love others.  Tonight God gave me a bit of a reality check in the sense that I’ve realized that I can be a selfish person at times.  Most of the time I’m consumed with “me”.   Consumed with what’s going on in my life, what going to go on in my future, what I look like, how I’m feeling, how I’m growing and maturing in my faith, how I can keep myself busy so that God-forbid I don’t risk being/feeling alone, blah, blah, blah, me, me, me…  I’m not saying that it’s wrong to think or reflect on oneself but even in that it should be done do the glory of God.  I’m realizing that I’m way to consumed with myself.  Please excuse me if I come off as being hard on myself it’s just that I’m writing from that place of “sick and tired”.  I want change, I need change.  I want to stop caring so much about myself and what others think of me and start thinking more and caring more about others.  The good news is that I’m at a place in my life now where I can finally be free to live out my dream.  Not only have I been introduced to true unconditional love, but now as a grateful believer in Jesus Christ I have God’s Holy Spirit living on the inside of me which empowers me to not only love God, but to love others as well.  God has loved me so much that he sent Jesus to die for me and now through the awareness of that love, I’m willing to die to my selfish ways so that I could love God first and then others for His glory.  It is His love in me that enables me to express it to others, it is not of my own power or ability.   I’m excited to step outside of myself and allow God to use me to share His love with others and to share the reason for my hope.  I’ve already started looking at volunteer opportunities in my area.  I’d love to actually go on a missions trip at some point in the future when the timing is right, but for now I want to start right here where God has placed me, serving in my everyday life.

If you have a desire to love and help others, but you just haven’t reached out yet, maybe out of fear or insecurities or even selfishness then I encourage you to take the focus off of yourself and to place it on God.  Look upward and not inward.  Step outside of yourself and ask the God of the universe to show you His love and then to show you how to love like He’s loved you.  Don’t sell yourself short of the life that God has planned for you and don’t give up on your dreams.

My prayer tonight is taken from the song lyrics of Hosanna:

Dear Lord, I come before you and confess my selfishness and pray for your forgiveness and mercy.  I thank you in faith and ask that You would change me Lord for your glory.  I pray that you would show me where and how I can love and serve others and that Your will be done.  I also ask the following prayer in the name of Jesus:

Heal my heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what breaks yours

Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause

As I walk from earth into eternity

Amen ❤

I’ve included an awesome remix to Hosanna! Hope you enjoy…