Living with love in our hearts is not always a simple task, but it is what we are called to do.
Throughout our lives, the enemy confronts us. An enemy who wants nothing more than to deter us from the task we are called to do, and that is love one another as He has loved us. Corruption walks among us trying to instill hatred, envy, and racism. Creating separation among people and dividing families. The good news is that the choice is always ours. Walk the path of light and love, or stray into the shadows.
How many times during a day do you hear someone finding fault with another person? It happens way more than it should. Worse though, is when we join in and talk ill of another person. Whether it is because we want to vent, or to belong, whatever the reason, we dim our light and open the door for the enemy to enter. Sometimes we do it because we want others to know how we are being treated, but that is not a good enough reason. There is never a reason to talk ill of another person or make fun of them.
We are called to love everyone. This includes the poor in spirit, those who have hurt us, and though who would look to take advantage of us. Loving them is not the same thing as agreeing with their actions or lifestyle. In loving them, we understand they may have experienced pain or led astray in their life. When we understand this, we see them in a different light. We are all God’s children, worthy of love and forgiveness.
Loving our friends and family is much easier than loving strangers and people who have hurt us. Forgiveness allows us to release the pain of harm, and love the spirit within the person; a spirit who, perhaps, is struggling to shine through the darkness it finds itself surrounded by. Loving them does not mean walking their path with them. Sometimes, it means forgiving them. Other times, it could mean sitting quietly alongside them during their struggle.
We are never called to put ourselves purposely in harm’s way. What we are called to do is love and help one another shine, protect the innocent, and use our talents in the service of others.
Living with love in your heart also means accepting and loving yourself. Too often we put ourselves down, lose trust in our judgement, and find fault with ourselves. Social conditioning plays a large role in this area, especially for women, but men are not excluded from this. Until we stop buying products and magazines that perpetrate only one image of beauty, this will never cease.
A wonderful movement that came out of Covid was women embracing their natural beauty and hair colour. As someone whose hair turned white long before I would’ve liked, I can truthfully say that the decision to stop dying my hair in my forties was liberating. I’ve received way more compliments on my white hair than I ever did on my dyed. When teenagers ask what the name or number of the colour, so they can dye it the same, I tell them God101. They cannot believe it is natural. I still get a chuckle when asked this.
Life is what you make of it. You can choose to live with anger and hatred in your heart, or you can choose to live with love. We are called to love all. When we embrace this call, we begin living with love in our hearts.
Free inspirational or motivational posts can be found on the inspirational page of Leslie’s website.