Be still and know that I am God. (Ps. 46:10)
Lately, I have been desiring to grow in love in greater measure. I want to love people well. I want love to be the compelling force that drives me in all aspects of my life…family, ministry, relationships, you name it. I don’t want to be driven by a calendar or a checklist of all the things I have to do, in order to be a good Christian. Anything I do, I want it to be done out of love.
As God pours his love upon me, I pour His love out to others. The more His love pours in, the more His love pours out. I want to be a dispenser of His love, mercy, grace and truth in generous, overflowing amounts.
I recognize that the more we are able to receive His love for ourselves the better we are able to give His love out. We can only give out of what we have experienced for ourselves. Sometime last week I went on a walk and started praying out of my hunger and desire to grow in the place of love. I found myself asking God, what do I need to do to make myself able to receive more of your love?
I started running through my mental list. Am I reading enough? Praying enough? Praying for the right kinds of things? Doing enough? All of a sudden, I heard his words in my spirit crystal clear…
Stop trying to earn it.
And there it was. I will be vulnerable enough to share that even though I have been living the Christian life for over 20 years, I still at times, find myself trying to earn it. Sometimes I need that gentle reminder that all God requires is my belief and my trust. His desire is that I learn to rest in Him. To be at home with Him. To be at home with myself and who He has created me to be. To embrace my weaknesses and failures and to get excited about all the ways that I am growing and that I am learning.
It is a hard thing to wrap our minds around. Our whole lives we are told we have to work to achieve and to get by. We have to work hard to stand out and get ahead. But when it comes to the God of the universe, the one who created the world we live in and the one who set everything in motion, He desires only that we learn to lean on and depend on Him. As a Father, He desires that we find warmth and safety in His arms. He desires our company and our companionship. He desires that we spill our guts, telling Him everything that we think and feel. He desires that we breathe easy in His presence. He never intended that anyone would ever make us think we needed to earn love.
No, the love He gives, He gives freely. Rest. Relax. Find a place of home and safety in Him. And be.
