Not Easy part 5
Love is not easy... if you're trying to do it yourself. Based on whether or not somebody "deserves" it. Because we can always find fault with people, if we're looking for it. In fact, I'm convinced that we can find anything we're looking for. Jesus said it like this, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7). The problem is that most of the time we either look for the wrong thing, or we look in the wrong place. Looking for love in all the wrong places leaves us feeling unworthy of love. And if we don't feel that we ARE loved, then its not easy TO love. Impossible, in fact. Because you can't give what you don't have. But when we go to the source of love, we find that it (HE) has been inside us all along. We already have everything we need. So rather than having "an eye for an eye" as our philosophy and giving back what people give us, we can break the cycle. We can give people what we've got regardless of what they give us. Regardless of whether they "deserve" it or not. Come on, guys. Jesus died for us when we didn't deserve it at all. We were calling for Barabus. We we calling for Jesus' head. And that's exactly what He gave us. But what was supposed to be death's greatest victory was really life's declaration that no grave could hold Jesus down. Which means no grave can hold US down. So when something (love) seems like its too hard for us, what we ought to do is stop trying so hard. Stop trying to force a square peg into a round hold. I'm convinced that the two hardest things in the world are 1. Doing something you don't want to do and 2. Not doing something you do want to do. My point is: Stop trying. Don't have a, "I'm supposed to love everybody so if I don't I'm not a good Christian" mindset. That's called condemnation. And there is no condemnation in Christ. Don't try to be someone you're not. Don't try to do something you can't. Just remember that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. When you can't... that's when He will. That's WHY Jesus gave His life (both for us and as us). He took death's best shot so that we might experience and enjoy His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life as He lives it in us, and through us, and as us. As He LOVES in us, and through us, and as us. When its not easy... stop struggling. Let go and let God, as they say. Cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you. Stop focusing on WHY its so hard to love someone. Stop looking at the surface stuff (both "good" and "evil," positive and negative) and let the love that's in you flow out. Naturally. As you fill yourself to overflowing with what you've already been filled with. And I know sometimes even THAT is not easy. Sometimes we don't feel worthy of God's love. But I'm telling you, "...I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love" (Romans 8:38 NLT). And when we know that we are loved... we CAN love. Easily!