Looking for what, exactly?
May 23, 2008 at 9:37 am | In journaling | 11 CommentsTags: Christian, Church, God, Jesus, love
What is it that you are looking for in life? Significance? Love? Friendship?
I’ve spent much of my life looking for someone to just love and accept me for who I am. But that is all mixed up, because I spent most of those years trying to “be someone else” so that I could be loved and accepted. The supposition was that I had a ‘fundamental flaw.’ Something was so very wrong with me that I didn’t deserve to be loved. I didn’t even deserve to live. My life was an accident that should never have happened.
My self-destructive lifestyle from those years took a big toll on my health, both emotionally and physically.
I’m learning more about God’s love, but there are days where it is just too crazy to believe that I’m loved and accepted and wanted by Him. It seems to have been proven too many times that my original thinking was correct. So it is a process that gets walked out on a daily basis. The process to have those mindsets changed, and truth imparted.
There are so many people walking around wounded. How do we reach out loving hands and hearts and show them Christ?
1 Corinthians 13 (the Message)
The Way of Love
If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
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I love it – thanks for posting!
We show then kindness, understanding, sharing what God has done in our lives, inviting them to Church, on and on.
Comment by Tim — May 23, 2008 #
I’ve had similar problems, H. And, in some ways, I still do. But, for me, that’s what makes God different. I see Him above all others. Loving me for who I am. Warts and all. Especially the parts that are hurting so much I turn away at times. People, to be sure, aren’t like that. Nope. I may be surrounded by people who judge me by the clothes I wear or the amount of money I make or the kind of car I drive, but I know God will never be that shallow.
And that’s what makes Him different. Better. Holy. Loving.
Comment by TheNorEaster — May 23, 2008 #
After I posted, I was thinking… this passage shows how God loves us. When we can get a grasp on God’s love, and we can begin to love Him… we will be a step closer towards being able to show that love to other people.
We are to love the Lord our God with all of ourselves and then love others as ourselves. That is a tall order!
Pointing people towards Christ is the most loving thing we can do. Not pointing at ourselves as having all of the answers. But pointing towards the One who truly does have the answers. The one who IS the answer! Like you just did, NE.
Sometimes when people give me advice, all I hear is blah, blah, blah…. not because I don’t respect and like them, but because they are just talking out of themselves. Their need to be important and to ‘fix’ me. I get so tired of being fixed rather than loved.
yeah….
Comment by HW — May 23, 2008 #
Yeah…
Comment by Michelle — May 23, 2008 #
and, of course, it works both ways. I’ve spent a lot of time lately working on loving other people this way. Reminding myself constantly that they are made in God’s image… He loves them unconditionally… and that it isn’t my job to ‘fix’ them or judge them. and I fall so short so often
grace…
Comment by HW — May 23, 2008 #
There were times when I really needed someone to just listen. Listen and believe what I’m saying.
I think this is one of the most powerful displays of love we can offer hurting people.
Comment by 7catz — May 23, 2008 #
That is such a good point, catz!!!
Comment by HW — May 23, 2008 #
hey you! something went wierd on my blog and I had to re-post my last entry…so I lost your comment… I just wanted to amke sure you knew that I didn’t delete you!!
Hug,
7catz
Comment by 7catz — May 25, 2008 #
Hey, Heidi:
Wasn’t sure if I sent the e-mail to the right address so I’m just stopping by to let you know that I have my first podcast up for your husband. Let me know what “youse guys” think, okay?
Take care.
Comment by TheNorEaster — May 27, 2008 #
NE… you did send it to my e-mail address.
Sorry I didn’t write back yet. My daughter turned 9, and my son broke his arm this weekend, so I haven’t spent a lot of time on the computer.
Steve listened to it yesterday, and said it was very good! He also mentioned it didn’t show up in his regular feed, so he is glad you wrote because he wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Comment by HW — May 27, 2008 #
Okay. I’m glad he likes it. I’ll adding podcasts of my posts regularly so keep checking when you have the time. I just added another today. You know I only post a new Essay once a week, but when I do, I’ll put in the names of the new podcasts.
(Please don’t ask me about the “feed” thing..
)
Comment by TheNorEaster — May 27, 2008 #