Yesterday was WMU Sunday for our church. The daughter of one of our past preachers was our speaker. I hadn't been looking forward to hearing her speak, and had even considered not going. But I ended up going...and I'll never regret that decision, for God truly used her to speak to me yesterday morning. Her talk/sermon centered around Mark 12:28-34...the passage where the scribes ask Jesus "which is the first commandment of all?", and Jesus answers with "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." I've heard the passage many times before, but never has it hit me the way it did yesterday.As the speaker proceeded to touch on and explain each part of Jesus' statement (answer), I found myself reflecting on my own life-- my actions, thoughts, emotions-- and wondering if I could truly say that I loved God with all my heart...mind...soul...and strength. Did my life reflect an all-consuming love for God? I doubted it...but I suddenly had an undeniable desire to live my life in a way that did reflect that kind of love.
But that wasn't all of Jesus' reply...after telling the scribes what the first commandment was, he continued with a second one: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." The two go hand in hand...you can't have the second without the first. If you truly love God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength...if everything you do reflects the love you have for God...then how can you do anything but have and show love toward everyone else?
You can't truly have and show that love to others until you truly love yourself, though...which is alot easier said than done.
I've been struggling with some things lately...inadequency, loneliness, and friendship, to name a few. Things that I've given to God countless times...things I've asked Him to take care of, to fix. But apparently I've never truly given it over...because these things keep coming back to bother me. That's the human side of me, I know. Truly giving God all of me means putting my complete trust and faith in Him...not just hoping, but knowing, that He will take care of me and my problems...that He'll guide me and my path...that He'll protect me and my heart...and that He'll love me unconditionally, no matter how many times I screw up.
I rededicated my life to God yesterday...I didn't go down to the front and publicly do it...but I rededicated myself regardless, sitting there in one of the back pews, sandwiched between my grandmother and sister.
Later that night, several of the things that had been bothering me just all came together, and I broke down, and literally cried out to God, to take it all away...just take it away, and help me through this. After my tears, my thoughts, and the prayers of my heart were all poured out to God...after truly giving it all over to Him...I finally felt at peace about it all. Thank You, God...
God will take care of me...He will guide my path...He will direct my ways...
I will love the Lord my God with all of my heart, with all of my soul, with all of my mind, and with all of my strength...I will love my neighbor as myself...and I will love myself, just as I am.
1 comment:
Just remember sometimes we have to do those re-dedications daily and that it's not a bad thing to do so, not a drudgery but rather a joy, a blessing that we are able. It's like saying "refresh and renew me this day".
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