recently i've been struggling a lot with loving people.
that sounds so simple. it's not, guys. i mean it is, but it's really hard. it's really been showing in how i use my words lately too. if you've been following along with my instagram lately, you'd see that this past week i've started a devotional on the fruits of the spirit. this week was (supposed to be) love. just gonna be honest right here..... *cringe*.. i only really did it half the days i was supposed to. gah.
my plan for the days was this..
day 1: what is love?
day 2: God's love for me
day 3: love for God
day 4: love for God's people
day 5: love for my enemies
just that first monday was so convicting and good. i just went in depth to 1 corinthians 13:4-8. i just looked at every aspect of what God says love is, and it broke me. just read these and ask yourself how it compares to your life and words and thoughts?
love is patient.
love is kind.
love does not envy or boast.
love is not angry or rude.
love does not insist on his own way.
love is not irritable or resentful.
love does not rejoice at wrong doing but rejoices with the truth.
love bears all things.
love believes all things.
love hopes all things.
love endures all things.
love never ends.
is that what my love looks like to others? my family? my friends? a watching world? to God? this just hit me where i am right now. lately i have not been characterized by patience and unconditional, more by selfishness and irritability. those last four lines just got me. my love has been so conditional lately when God says true love never ends. it just hit me harder when i considered the love of God for me on day 2. his love is
committed, eternal, steadfast // jeremiah 31:3, isaiah 54:10, lamentations 3:22
patient, unconditional // exodus 34:6
sacrificial, selfless // john 15:13, romans 5:8, john 3:16, galatians 2:20
transforming // 1 john 4:19, 2 corinthians 5:14, revelation 3:19, john 13:34, proverbs 3:12, 1 corinthians 8:3, hebrews 12:6
like wow. he has been all these things to and for me in my sin and unworthiness. how can i not be this to those who have "wronged" me, even those who love me?!
ok i have to run to church, but sorry for the unplanned break i've been taking recently. i miss all of you :') what does love mean to you? and which fruit of the spirit is most difficult for you? i think it's pretty much all of them for me. hahahahahaha but really though.
I enjoyed this, Olivia. And don't worry about it; I've been taking an unplanned blogging break too. Thanks for the encouragement. I've been struggling with loving *everyone* lately. It's something I have to constantly and consciously remind myself of.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thanks for this!!
Agh thank you for this comment!!<3 I know- it can be so hard. I'm so glad it was an encouragement!
DeleteOLIVA. don't I know that, don't I know it. it's one of the hardest things for me because I...love too much or not at all. I love with my own love. so let us rest and grow in His love as he is patient in teaching us. ♥♥
ReplyDeleteYesssss. That is so true. I somehow get this perspective that I can love who and what I want, and those who I don't instinctively love- I just don't and that's that. It's so contrary to what God's love really is. It's such an encouragement to know others who are fighting the same battles as me♥ thanks for the comment cally!
DeleteDUDE. I struggle with this too. As an introvert, it's hard for me to stretch out my wings and love people by paying attention to them/asking for things. your faith makes me want to have a deeper one as well. thanks so much for the wake-up call!
ReplyDeleteAGH. SAME. Being introverted can make it really hard. So thankful for God's grace in my failures though! thank you for this sweet comment! knowing that you are persevering in this fight to love encourages me to persevere in mine. :')
DeleteIt seems like love should be natural and easy. But it's not. It's difficult and sometimes you just have to force yourself to do it. I so want to be characterized by God's love + kindness (and all of the other fruits of the Spirit. Why).
ReplyDeleteAlsdkfj. It does seem like it should come so naturally, especially after all that God's done for us! Hahahaha, same. So many of the fruits of the Spirit. I can hardly even.
Deletegah. love is the part of of God's story that fascinates me the most. there's so many different parts of love that make it complicated, yet /so/ simple.
ReplyDeleteits the most difficult thing... yet the easiest. its the thing that /everyone/ obsesses over, but the one thing that everyone forgets to included in every day life.
yes, love is great, love is incredible. His is such that surpasses comprehension.
and that is what i strive for in my life: for His love to shine through me.
but man is it a heck of a struggle sometimes.
i understand what you going through, love.
you're in my prayers <3
-eva
//
But now faith,
hope,
love,
abide these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
-1 Corinthians 13:13
yesyesyesyes. so much truth in this. it's amazing how focused we can become on it without it changing a fraction of our lives. so complex, but then so incredibly simple. i want to be known by my love//john 13:35.
Deletethank you so much eva. that's so encouraging. :')
and yessssssssssss. that verse. God's word is so good.
(in case you weren't already aware^)
I've been thinking a lot about love as well. How it all boils down to love, first God's love for Himself, then God's love for us, then our love for God, then our love for others, then our love for ourselves. But oh how I want to put that last love and put it first. We say the word "love" so many times these days, but I do not think that we know the meaning of the word (however inconceivable that is). I too struggle with showing love, especially when it comes to giving time to people, because I'm beginning to treasure time more and more.
ReplyDeleteThank-you for such an encouraging/convicting post! I didn't read all of the scriptures you posted yet, but this would be a great study for me to go through as well!
Hannah from http://graceineverything.blogspot.com/
OH MY GOODNESS I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS! Thank you so much for your sweet comment<3333 I'll be praying for you!!
Delete...wow, Olivia. I've been thinking about love lately too, and it's seriously something that I need to work on. Gosh. Thank you for posting this, I needed to think about it more.
ReplyDeleteAgh you are the sweetest!! I'm so glad that it was a blessing to you<333
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