The more time I spend trying to learn to love individuals who I don’t love or who is sinful, selfish ways I deem not worthy of my love the bigger the love of our Almighty Father in heaven becomes. This feat. No… A feat is something attainable; something that can be done. This pursuit of learning to love like God loves us and commands us to love is absolutely so difficult. Therefore I cannot call it a ‘feat’ because of how humanly unattainable this pursuit feels.
Everything about it is draining. From the consistent need to be intentional in every aspect of the word to the lack of feeling truly cared about there is a constant nagging in my soul to quit. To quit trying to love them and put their interests above my own. To pursue my own journey with Christ without those around me because it is too damn hard and therefore not worth it.
The problem is that that mindset of me, myself, and I is fundamentally flawed. There is no journey I can pursue without these people around me. A huge part of the journey is these people. The ultimate goal is to lift God and his name above everything else, to learn to love God more than anyone or anything. In these things God desires for me, there is no Me. There is God and God alone. The way we learn to love God, which is so blatantly obvious in the Bible is through loving others. Loving others in the same way that God loved us; loving those who are undeserving or who do reciprocate love or gratitude. Loving others with the same caliber of love of which I want to love myself with.
Nothing about this task is easy. True humility is not grasped by accident.
Giving my life to God is not done at the beginning of faith, it is done through consistent, intentional decisions every day. Loving God happens through loving others unselfishly in the same sacrificial way that He loved us as well as through obedience. And through it all to rely upon Christ’s assurance of love and blessing.
Couple this task of loving others as yourself with rejoicing always, praying continually, and giving thanks in all circumstances… talk about overwhelming.
It comes down to relying upon God because on my own I am absolutely certain I cannot do it all.
Easier said than done. But the best things in life never come easy.