Garden of your heart

"And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Matthew 22:39

What a challenge this verse is!  As I have been reflecting the last few days on loving others more deeply, this verse fits perfectly.    Some would say that we do not love ourselves, yet even if we have the worst of self-esteems, we still love ourselves.  We love ourselves enough to protect us from getting hurt, to "give" ourselves something because "we deserve it", we feed ourselves and some don't feed enough because they want their bodies to look a certain way, we brush our teeth, etc.   We love ourselves, we want to look good to others (both physically and personality).  So, yes we do love ourselves....but how can we love others too!

I Corinthians 13 tells us what that would look like.  Let me list the traits of what love is and is not:

*patient

*kind

*does not envy or boast

*is not arrogant or rude

*does not insist on its own way

*is not irritable or resentful

*it does not rejoice at wrongdoing

*rejoices with the truth

*bears all things

*believes all things

*hopes all things

*endures all things

*It never ends

If you are like me, you look at this list and realize that you still need to grow in love.  Matter of fact, sometimes it discourages me when I see how far from the mark I truly am.  But, let's not live in defeat, let's instead pick up each and every new day and determine with the Holy Spirit's help to live a life of love.  Today, I choose to love those that God has placed in my life.  I choose to be patient and kind.  I choose to be more compromising and not always wanting just "my way."  I choose to not be irritable,  I choose to rejoice with the truth,  I choose to endure and to choose to not let my love end today.  Instead, since Christ showed me so much love, I will in turn show others much love.    I know that I cannot do this myself, so I am going to spend some time on my knees this morning in prayer over this! 

How about you?