We Have It Backward!featured

“Walk in love” is a very popular phrase. I’m sure the majority of people have heard it at one time or another. How in the world do we as mere human beings take this phrase to heart and really be able to say that we actively live it out, we walk in love? What if I told you that we have it backward? What if I told you that this is not what you should be doing at all?

When we attempt to walk in love, it’s out of our own ability, out of our own emotion, out of our own merit that we conjure up the love to give to people. Because of that, most of the time we don’t do a very good job. Even with those that we are closest with, those that our love should come naturally for like our kids, our spouse, our BFF, we have times when we definitely have to fake it till we make it. We find ourselves having to force a smile, force a feeling of caring. When someone is grating on our nerves we lash out, we loose our patience. All of this is proof that on our own we cannot truly walk in love!

“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19

We shouldn’t walk in love, we should walk in the love God has for us!

We have it backward! We need to really understood the love God has for us and from that knowledge will flow His love to all those around us. Imagine how effortless it would be to then “walk in love”. It would be natural verses forced!

Imagine you’re standing facing the bright sun as it rises above the earth. You put your arms up by your side, turn your face toward it with your eyes closed to soak in as much of its heat as you can. This is effortless, you don’t have to do anything to receive those rays, to create that vitamin D, you simply have to stand there and be in the presence of the shinning sun. There is another natural occurrence that happens as well. If you were to turn away from the sun you would notice that you have a shadow. That shadow is a visible effect of the sun shinning on you.

When we spend time with your Heavenly Father, basking in His love, learning who we are to Him and all the gifts he has for you, from that revelation comes your “shadow”. The outward change that everyone can see but that is effortless for you to create! When you walk in the love God has for you, you will naturally be showing love for those around you!

I encourage you to spend time with your loving Heavenly Father, with the one that showed what true love is, the one that love is His nature. Really get to know and understand how much you are loved and allow Him to change you from the inside out!