A Woman Who Loves...

I have a soft heart. I love deeply. This is perhaps my greatest strength, but it is also my greatest weakness. I can love so much that I lose myself in others. I can care so much that I give without thinking. Because I love so much, I can be over-sensitive to the opinions and rejection of others. I bleed easily. I cry too quickly. Loving others has cost me hours of sleep, time with family, money for pleasure, and the comfort of home.

Next weekend, love will take me to Haiti. I will go alone and work among strangers. I will see devastating need and will not have enough resources to help everyone. I'll hold children who have lost everything and pray over bodies who have lost limbs. I'll be away from my family and church at home. I'll miss my husband on our 29th wedding anniversary.

Love is not always convenient or comfortable. It doesn't always fit into our schedule. Love can be a lot of work. It can be expensive. It is not always received, nor is it always understood.

Each of us must make a decision concerning love. Will we let ourselves love others unconditionally? Will we risk expressing that love? Are we willing to see the need or suffering of others in order to love them? What sacrifices are we willing to make for love? No one can make these decisions for us. When faced with the opportunity to love, we make our choice. It's really very simple.

God IS love. To reject love - transparent, healthy, pure, unconditional love - is to reject God. To embrace love is to embrace God! In truth, all genuine ministry is an expression of God's love. We teach, preach,correct, feed, clothe, shelter, visit, support, heal, labor alongside, and pray because we have God's love to give away...and we can't seem to give enough to get rid of it! (Smile) There is this endless flow of His sweetness and love that fills us and never depletes, no matter how much we try to give it away.

Women withhold love for so many reasons...fear of hurt or rejection, bitterness, self-pity or selfishness, frustration. I can't count the many times a woman has confided that she doesn't want to hear about or see suffering because it makes her sad. There are those who avoid fellowshipping with the sisters because it makes them uncomfortable. Some believe they have enough problems of their own. They don't have time, money, energy, or social skills. There are millions of excuses for avoiding love.

Yet love is so rewarding! We were created to love. Did you know that? You and I were made in the image of a loving God - made to love! We have His Spirit inside of us. We are filled with Love! And only in giving, expressing, and releasing that love do we find fulfillment. Nothing else makes us feel complete.

I want to challenge you to love more this year. Deal with the issues that have imprisoned your heart. Don't avoid them. Bring them before God and let His Love and Word set you free. Ask Him to fill you once again with His love. Then let it go! Give His love away more than ever before in affirming words,gentle touches, and acts of service for others. You will find that no matter how much you give away this wonderful love, you will stay full. You will reap the love you sow. It's a miraculous thing.

I am finding a new joy in loving. It's never been easier to share. My heart is bursting with love for my heavenly Father and for the people He made. I sense His Presence at a new depth each time I express His love to someone. I am sharing in His ministry in those moments, feeling His incredible love. All work flows from this well and is somehow sweet. I can't seem to love Him enough!

I pray you will experience a new surge of this wonderful love. I pray you will find new words and ways to express it. I pray your heart will be enlarged to love even the most difficult. May you know the joy of loving unconditionally,unreservedly this year!