Covered with Love

Sometimes it's hard for me to love. I mean this as a pretty broad statement that applies to the broad definition of love. My favorite definition of love is the one Marcel LeJeune always uses, that true love is doing what is best for another person regardless of the cost to yourself. So when I say that sometimes it's hard for me to love, I don't really mean that it's hard for me to be nice to people, I mean that it's hard sometimes to always do what is best for everyone...including myself.

This could be something as simple as offering to cook or doing the dishes for my parents. They do those things so selflessly and never ask me to, and it rarely even crosses my mind to offer that sort of help. I want to always be thinking of ways that I can help them and others. It could also mean something deeper, like understanding God's plan in my life and still loving him even when it seems that he's holding some pretty great things back from me. I know that his plans for me are incredible and that I can't even imagine what great things he has planned, as evidenced by my current opportunities and blessings that I never would have imagined a few years ago, so in the meantime I am called to love him and the people in my life. I think I see some self improvement goals in the works :)

I was doing some painting the other day so I pulled out my little art supply bag and found one of my books by Max Lucado called A Love Worth Giving. I keep that book in there because it has some great quotes that I've often used as encouragement for friends and for myself. Max Lucado is so eloquent and gifted with words and he always seems to be able to bring me comfort with how he writes about God's love. Here is one of my favorite quotes:

"Why did Jesus do that? There is only one answer. And that answer has one word. Love. And the love of Christ "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Cor. 13:7).

Think about that for a moment. Drink from that for a moment. Drink deeply. Don't just sip or nip. It's time to gulp. It's time to let his love cover all things in your life. All secrets. All hurts, All hours of evil, minutes of worry.

The mornings you awoke in the bed of a stranger? His love will cover that. The years you peddled prejudice and pride? His love will cover that. Every promise broken, drug taken, penny stolen. Every cross word, cuss word, and harsh word. His love covers all things.

Let it. Discover along with the psalmist: "He...loads me with love and mercy" (Ps. 103:4). Picture a giant dump truck full of love. There you are behind it. God lifts the bed until the love starts to slide. Slowly at first, then down, down, down, until you are hidden, buried, covered in his love.

"Hey, where are you?" someone asks.
"In here, covered in love."

Let his love cover all things.
Do it for his sake. To the glory of his name.
Do it for your sake. For the peace of your heart.
And do it for their sake. For the people in your life. Let his love fall on you so yours can fall on them."