Unfailing perfect LOVE

"Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:8

 I have been doing a lot of processing these days.

       I am an internal processor, so I tediously think over the things crowding my mind about a thousand times before I am ready to verbally process. Then, I word vomit all my processed thoughts to whoever is sitting in my living room or standing in my kitchen at just the right moment... for this moment God provided my beautiful sister Connie. He is good like that. He always knows just what we need and exactly who we need at just the right moment. He has provided me with an amazingly gracious sister that has in a way grown up with me in our adult lives. She loves me deeply, knows me inside and out, and believes in me. For a very predestined moment last week she kindly sat on the couch across from me, listened intently and carefully, and then filled my heart and home with wise words, godly encouragement, affirmation and precious, timely, council.

        Isn't that just a glimpse into what we all need in the deepest core of our beings? We all long to be known, heard, and loved in an unfailing way. No matter who we are, how we process, what roads we've walked, or where we have landed. There is nothing our hearts long for more than unfailing love.

       For many different seasons of my life I love looked to fill this longing in my heart in many different capacities; with my family growing up, friends, boyfriends, mentors, my husband, my children.... I am well aware of the gaping hole in my soul that longs to be loved in an unfailing, unchanging, relentless, all encompassing, all understanding, all knowing, completely unconditional  kind of way. We were created, woven together and intricately formed as unique and beautiful individuals with one main purpose, to love and be loved.

        It seems as though things are in a state of constant change in my life. In every season I need to revisit this very foundational concept and realign my expectations and priorities in a way that is most beneficial for my heart, the people I love, and the kingdom. It's a crucial concept, that I must cling to and embrace to be all that God created me to be in each season. I was made to crave, desire, and hunger for unfailing love. We were all created to wholeheartedly long for the unfailing love of our Creator. His love is the only perfect love. We were made to be loved by Him.

"No love of the natural heart is safe unless the human heart has been satisfied by God first" 
- Oswald Chambers

      All sorts of things go wrong when I try and put the expectations of being loved in a perfect and unfailing way on anyone other than the One who formed my inner most being. He knows me fully, and longs to be the first I run to, the first I seek, my first love, and the desire of my heart. Every one of my longings is met in His love. All He desires is that I receive His love and love Him back with all I am. The most beautiful part is that even though my love for Him is flawed, broken, and imperfect, it is PRECIOUS to Him, treasured by the One who does love in the post pure and perfect way. The absolute only way for our souls to find complete satisfaction, wholeness, unfailing, unconditional love is to daily seek and embrace Jesus.

       My other tendency is to put it upon myself to love others perfectly. As much as l pour out, spread myself thin, and kill myself trying to be everything everyone needs in this moment...I will fall short, let myself down and let others down. I can not be everything to all the people in my life in every season. The best and most powerful thing that God has taught me, and sometimes reteaches me, is to wake up every morning and pray these things...

- God, help me to love whoever You put right in front of my face today with YOUR love. 
- Let me not seek out more than You have for me, I whole heartedly trust that You will care for and love the people I cannot today at a greater and more powerful capacity than I ever could. I entrust them to you.
- Holy Spirit, guide me. Help me not miss any opportunity You put in front of me, give me Your wisdom, discernment and love.
- Fill me with the miraculous love of Jesus today. 

     As we seek Him to be the sole desire of our hearts, and allow Him to love us the way we were made to be loved, our satisfied hearts pour over with love for others. A deep, rich, intentional, beautiful kind of love that He uses to miraculously change the lives of others. His love changed my life, and I know that when I extend it to others it changes them. It's not me. The best way that I can love others is by being fully satisfied in Him and then allowing that love to change me, fill me, and pour out.

"All a persons ways seem right to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:2-3

         As I said before, I have been doing a lot of processing. I have been looking at my life, evaluating what I've accomplished, making plans and goals for the future, searching my heart, my motives, and longing to make the most of my life. It all seems so complicated, but the truth is simple. I don't want to have any regrets about how I spend my days. I can over think it, over plan, stress and strive and let all the expectations of what I want to achieve crush me. The best life I can live, the most effective and life changing thing I can teach my children, the truest way I can love the bride, the most impactful way for me to love the every person in my little world... is to keep things simple. Love God, love others... and trust that if I am seeking the Lord He will take me on the fulfilling journey planned out just for me, my needs, my desires, my hopes, my dreams. He knows me better than I know myself, my greatest desire is to align myself with His plans. I have never regretted a single day spent loving the Him and loving others. It may sound over simplified, but it is profoundly powerful to spend your life loving the people God brings to it. Nothing has been more effective in my life than when the Lord poured out His love on me through my time with Him or through a beautiful person in my life. Every interaction we have is an opportunity to love. There is no greater way to live your life than to point people to its truest and most perfect source.

"As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love... I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay one's life for one's friends." John 15:9,11-13