Tag Archives: love

A Commitment from God

Posted on by under Conversations with God
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A commitment from God is unlike our other worldly commitments. This one is for eternity.

Our greatest commitment is with God, our Father. A commitment from God isn’t like our other, worldly commitments.

It is written, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

My beloved, think of your greatest commitments. Your children, your marriage… even the most committed of lovers are eventually separated by death.

But not us. I am the One you can rely on. Now and through all of eternity. Doesn’t that give you such peace of mind? Such confidence? I’m here for you now and always will be.

No other relationship in your life is as sure as ours. So walk confidently on the path before you. Stay in My Word and your paths will be made straight. Always remember, you are never, ever alone. I am committed to you.

To learn more about the love of God, I highly recommend reading His Word. http://www.gotquestions.org is a great resource if you have any questions about the Bible.

The First and Greatest Commandment

Posted on by under Conversations with God
Home » love
The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, and with all of our mind.

It is written, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

My beloved, I love you. Do you know why I say this is the first and greatest commandment? For your own good, of course.

See, when the success of your day is measured by how well you’ve loved Me, you are far less prone to feelings of failure. The rest of your day is automatically improved, when your primary goal is to love me. What does that look like?

Stay in close communion with me. I want to be a part of your day. Right down to the details. Seek me with all of your heart, and you will find me.

This world will show you all the ways you’ve failed and not measured up. You didn’t get around to this, you forgot about that…

But when you’ve loved me with your whole heart and soul and mind, you can rest assured that your day was a success, no matter what your circumstances. When you keep your eyes focused on me, and walk in the light of My presence, your paths will be made straight. Your heart and soul and mind can breathe a sigh of relief.

To learn more about God’s commandments and His promises, I highly recommend you read His Word. If you have any questions about the Bible, http://www.gotquestions.org is a great resource!

Want more? Check out this post on the joy God calls us to: https://vehicleofwisdom.com/2022/11/16/be-joyful-always/ And sign up for emails so you never miss a post!

What Does The Bible Say About Love?

Posted on by under Christian Spirituality
Home » love
What does the Bible say about love? Come deepen your faith and understanding of the Bible and God's perfect love.

What does the Bible say about love? The Bible has a great deal to say about love. In fact, the Bible says that “love is of God” and “God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8) Therefore, everything God does is influenced by His love.

The Bible says that God is motivated by love to save the world. God’s love is on full display in the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. Accordingly, God’s love does not require us to be “worthy” to receive it.

The Bible says that, since true love is part of God’s nature, God is the source of love. He’s the initiator of a loving relationship with us. Any love we have for God is simply a response to His sacrificial love for us.

The Bible says that we should love others the way that God loves us. We are to love the family of God and our enemies. As we show gracious and selfless love, we reflect God’s love to a lost and dying world.

The Bible says that perfect love drives out fear. That nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. In other words, God’s love doesn’t wax and wane. It’s not a fickle, emotional sensation.

In 1 Corinthians 13, we can read love’s characteristics: love is patient and kind; love doesn’t envy, boast, or dishonor others; love is not proud or self-seeking; love is not easily angered, doesn’t keep a record of wrongs, and doesn’t delight in evil; rather, love rejoices with the truth; love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres; love never fails. Of the greatest of God’s gifts, faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love.

Our human understanding of love is flawed, weak, and incomplete, but the more we look at Jesus, the better we can understand true love. I highly recommend checking out www.gotquestions.org to learn more about the Bible and have many of your questions answered. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Fear Mongering and Parenthood

Posted on by under Daily Inspiration

I heard so much fear mongering about pregnancy before I ever became pregnant. “You’re going to be really anxious.” “You’re going to have insomnia.” “You’ll feel like crap all the time.” I was legitimately frightened about the prospect of it all. 

Turns out, none of those comments have been true for my experience. Not even one bit. Now do I feel as energetic and vibrant as I did before pregnancy? Of course not. Certainly not every day. But honestly, it’s like every other transition in life. You adapt. 

There’s definitely a difference between friends and family wanting to give advice, and the more generalized fear mongering comments regarding pregnancy and parenthood. I’m not referring to the former. And I like to think the latter are well intentioned, just perhaps not well thought out. 

The point is, every one’s experience of parenthood is so inherently unique, that we would be remiss to make any comments as if they were a one size fits all. Besides, fear mongering around parenthood doesn’t end with pregnancy. That’s half the problem. There’s always room for more. “Just wait until your first ER trip.” “Just wait until you have a raging toddler.” “You think this is hard? Try having two.” Etc.

It makes sense that people want to share their experiences. And historically, it’s easier to bond over negative ones. I’m all for the bonding. But we really should be careful with what I call our, “You’ll See” songs. 

Rather than share horror stories, why not share lessons? Maybe instead of, “You’ll never sleep again,” we could say something like, “If you’re struggling with lack of sleep when the baby gets here, feel free to reach out to me. I can share some tips that worked really well for us.” 

Remember, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7) When faced with the choice to spread a message of either love or fear, let’s choose love. Let’s always choose love.

June 11th

Posted on by under Personal Life Reflections

10 years ago today was the hardest day of my life. The day my life forever changed. I barely remember the flights that took me from Los Angeles to Raleigh. I alternated between sobbing and passing out the whole way. I remember a woman who sat beside me on the first plane. She lost her husband in Afghanistan and said, “I hate to tell you this, but it doesn’t get easier.” I sobbed harder.

I remember waiting for my luggage at baggage claim and a man who smelled like cigarettes handing me a $2 bill and saying, “Just know that you are loved.” I still have the $2 bill. 

***

I got married a few months ago. I gave my girl friends custom made tumblers with the words, “You are so loved,” written in cursive on the side. 

Last night, my husband and I played guitar and worked on a painting for our new house, while Bob Marley played in the background and our dog snoozed on the couch. 

It reminded me of those first few months, ten years ago. I spent a lot of time painting then. I didn’t know what else to do. The painting was healing for me. A way to momentarily forget about reality. Something I could do without having to think. Thinking was so painful. The next few years, whenever June 11th rolled around, I’d paint. 

It’s just by happen chance, (is there such a thing?), that I was painting again last night. The memories are still painful, of course, but over time, June 11th has lost its grip on me.

I don’t know why we have to lose people we love, but I can tell you this: The woman on the first flight was wrong. It does get easier. Jibrey was right in what he often said, life does go on. And the cigarette smelling mystery man at RDU baggage claim was right, too. We must never forget that we are so, so loved. 

A Story from The Costco Gas Pump

Posted on by under Daily Inspiration, Thought for the Day

As anyone who gets gas at Costco knows, the wait is long and people’s patience often wears thin. I’m third in line now, with the two cars in front of me each pulling up to their respective pumps.

The first guy gets out. He’s young, black, and wearing a mask.

The second, I’m frustrated with because he’s taking much longer to get out of his car. I see his door open and two feet slowly touch the ground, one and then another. He’s at least 90 years old, white, and contrastingly, not wearing a mask. 

The first guy is noticing him too. He doesn’t exactly look steady.

Then the first guy begins emphatically waving down a gas station attendant. I know he’s seeking help for the older one because I watch him peek around the pump for an attendant and then quickly back to the guy. As we both now wait for assistance, he appears to keep his eyes on the older gentleman, as if standing at the ready, should he need some help. 

My own eyes start to well up. The first guy isn’t in a rush to get gas and get gone, like I am. He’s present, and caring for a fellow human being. He doesn’t care that the guy is white. He doesn’t care that he’s not wearing a mask. He cares because he sees a man in need. 

If I were a news journalist, perhaps my headline would be, “Young Masked Black Man Comes to Old Maskless White Man’s Aid at Costco Gas Pump.” 

But do any of these details really matter? In today’s times, yes. They shouldn’t. But because we’ve been so increasingly divided over the past 18 months, we rarely hear these stories. We see them all the time, but we barely acknowledge them, and we certainly don’t hear about them. Sadly, these stories don’t sell. 

I think they should, though. Because to me, this story is what America (and humanity) is all about. 

Why Does Loss Happen?

Posted on by under Christian Spirituality

Why does God let us hurt? Why does He bring us people or animals to love when He knows we’re going to lose them?

Maybe because we don’t love people or animals simply because we’re going to have them forever. We love them because loving them changes us. It makes us better, kinder, healthier, more real. Even if people leave us, or animals die, loving them still makes us better.

So we keep loving. Even though we’re going to lose. Because loving teaches us and changes us, and that’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to become better lovers and to learn how to be loved. So when we get to heaven, we’ll be prepared for the place where everyone loves each other perfectly.

I Don’t Believe in Advice

Posted on by under How To/Advice

I don’t believe in advice. So when someone comes to me and says, “I need advice,” what I think they’re really saying is, “I need love.”

And offering love looks a lot like being quiet, listening, empathizing, and letting someone talk long enough until he/she discovers that they already know the answer they’re looking for.

The thing is, we each hold the answers right inside of us. Sometimes, people simply need a safe place and some time to discover what they already know. So I think offering advice is essentially just trying to hold that space and time for folks in need.

Control vs. Letting Go

Posted on by under Christian Spirituality, Daily Inspiration

There are really two ways of going about our day to day lives.

Either we’re striving and trying to maintain control (a fruitless effort, by the way, which leaves us exhausted). Or we’re relinquishing control to God, and trusting that He will bring us what we need each day.

There’s a distinct and noticeable difference between how good our days are, depending on which mode of being in which we’re acting.

When we’re striving, the people around us can tell. It says to them that there is something more important which we need to accomplish. Something more important than being present with them and letting God work. When we’re trusting God with all of our needs and desires, we’re at rest. And people around us can see this, too. They wonder how we’ve found such peace within the whirlwind of our daily lives. We’re a living testament of what it’s like to know God.

What it really boils down to, is that all of our striving and trying to gain control, makes the statement: “I don’t trust God.” And that hurts Him.

He’s already proven to us His goodness, grace, and love. Why would we not trust Him to take care of us on a daily basis?

Life becomes so much easier when we learn to let go, and let God. With every single aspect of our lives.

To Love At All is to be Vulnerable

Posted on by under Quotes

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

-C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves