Faith: Where is the love?

To some extent whether we admit it or not we are all on a quest to find love. We look for love in people, relationships, success and hobbies. Our actions are motivated by our quest for love; we change our appearance, we change our minds and we even change who we truly are all to feel the love. Media tells us that love is hard to find; so we sign up for eHarmony and Match.com to find love. We spend billions each year to lose weight and look sexy in hopes of finding love. Even Instagram has capitalized on love by using heart icons, which make us feel warm and fuzzy when people use them. Why do we believe that the love we need is scarce? That we can only create it through a romantic relationships, family and friends?

I watched this documentary once about people who have near death experiences. One woman said that when she died for a few minutes she saw the light, she felt this overwhelming feeling of love come over her, of which she had never experienced. As a result, she believes that our time here on earth is spent trying to get back to that love and filling that space in our hearts with anything we believe will get us closer. I will never forget her story. The woman continued to explain how the source of that powerful love was God and how we struggle to get back to that love our entire lives.

Real love starts within. I know it is cliché and over used but I never quite understood that until recently. Over the past year I have been having these powerful and amazing interactions with all people both new and old in my life. It was as if time spent with these people was deeper and more meaningful. I would walk away from conversations with people and they would tell me things like “I am so grateful I met you” or “This time spent has really changed my life” or “Thank you for noticing me”… really profound things. At first I just brushed it off; but then I started to notice how full my heart felt when I am truly engaged with someone and how their face lit up and the way it felt when we connected. It was as if the love was tangible like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. The more I looked to engage and have these experiences with people the more people looked to love and engage with me. And without finding a boyfriend, adopting a puppy or running to my natural family my love tank is overflowing.

I have never felt like this before in my life. I know it wasn’t the people that changed but it was my heart that changed. All the time I spent praying to God to mold me into a vessel, reading the word of God and thanking God; I finally received the heart of God. Through Christ Jesus he showed me how to protect that love by discerning things that would break my heart, or media that would instill fear. I have to be diligent about the things I feed my mind and heart because it can be just as destructive as the things I feed my body. By doing all of this I am now at a place where daily I can give and receive love without fear or scarcity.

Every day is an adventure because I never know just how much love is coming my way. I challenge you to do the same. Open your heart and allow God to mold you and get ready to receive all the love that you have been looking for.

Do you feel alone and unloved? Do you experience this type of love daily? Have you had a change of heart? Share your thoughts and comments!