Sharing God’s Love
In chapter 4: Becoming Wise the quote that stood out to me first is “change begins to happen in the human heart slowly, over time. Only then do the movements and leaders come along and topple the structures.” Change is a thing that I have and will always have to struggle with. The past seven years have been a whirlwind of emotion and hardships. Often I chose to stand by and watched as my world came crashing down. Monument changes in relationships, locations and comfort began to weigh heavy on my heart and I began to resent everything about myself. I dove into a deep state of anxiousness and depression that consumed me like a fire, burning every bridge and leaving dust and ashes all around me. Leaning into this dark cloud only made things worse for me and I was only sinking further and further into the darkness. Until, one day I made the conscious decision to hold on tight to the little strength I had left and allowed a positive change to guide me. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done but like Rilke said to his young poet: “we must trust in what is difficult” (104). Trust is another concept that I continue to battle with. With so many relationships destroyed by mistrust I had a hard time opening up and letting people in. In an interview I saw of Facebook with Brené Brown, Brené explained how she cracked the code of forgiveness in church. Her pastor says to her that “in order to forgive, something has to die and be grieved upon. Without this step there is no room for something new to be born.” This interview helped to shine a light on the relief that forgiveness provides and the proper way to do so.
By learning to forgive others and allowing the past to stay in the past, I can open my heart to new positive relationships. This sort of change is one that is extremely slow but worth every aching moment. Trial and error is a key component of overcoming anything that life throws at you. Whether it be trying new study habits or visiting a new church, we thrive on the desire to continuously better ourselves. With that being said everyone has their way of dealing with change and just because this method works for me does not mean it will work for you. We are given an option as to how we respond to the hardships and I make the choice to face my demons with love. Tippett says, “‘Love’ is not always or often the first response to violence and violation, one human being to another, nor can we expect it to be. Anger is also a moral response.” This statement opened my eyes to the truth that hurting people tend to hurt others but I stand here today to proclaim that I will no longer hurt others to make myself feel okay for hurting. I will practice the love of God, the song “Reckless Love” is a perfect example of this, the lyrics:
“There’s no shadow You won’t light up,
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me”
Portrays the type of love that I want to share with others. It is not easy to show love to those who have hurt you but by doing so you are accomplishing the most difficult type of love.
Matthew 5:44 says to “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” Living out the love of God is the most beautiful way to destroy the evil wrath of Satan. The 48x24 inch oil painting “Loving Your Enemies” by Lester Yocum exemplifies the true beauty of this verse. God will always forgive us and love us, no matter how many times we sin. Loving the enemy lifts the blinders and allows us to see them as human beings in need of God’s love.
The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments. (2010). London: Trinitarian Bible Society.
Loving Your Enemies. (n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://www.cornerstoneart.com/lds-artist-gallery/art_print_products/loving-your-enemies
Tippett, K. (2017). Becoming wise. Place of publication not identified: Constable And Robinson.
The Work of the People. (2018, February 24). The Ultimate Act of Love. Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://www.facebook.com/theworkofthepeople/videos/10156154411390682