At the Christmas Eve Candle light service last night, a phrase of “Silent Night” caught my attention: love’s pure light.
Last December, I was struggling with the concept of loving my neighbor. Somewhere through the trials life brings, I had become very jaded in my views, and had difficulty trusting others. Like a lightening bolt, it hit me that the Bible verse says to love thy neighbor, but nothing about trust. It was a starting point for me, I could try to love beyond trust. Then another thought became clear: “love will cover a multitude of sins.” And so began my journey back to love.
When asked to decide on a word for 2018, I made LOVE my word. Perhaps I was hoping to find the soul mate meant for me, but primarily my intentions were to find a deeper understanding of the word in daily practice.
I found a love that shines so brightly every day in the eyes of children I get to love in return. I have found a deeper love for my family. My relationship with my daughter is definitely much more love-filled. Those were the easy ones to regain a genuine love. But then there are the “enemies” that God is teaching me to love, and it has been enlightening to notice the daily changes in my attitude as I’ve been praying for them.
As I was writing in my journal one day last month, the greatest love hit me. I saw the words I had written on the page, “I love You” at the end of a prayer. A year ago, God started breaking the iced-wall around my heart by whispering the end of the verse (Mark 10:27) “love your neighbor as yourself.” I realize that He ended this year by allowing me to understand the beginning of the verse, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and all your mind”.
Last night, as we sang “Silent Night” in a field facing a cross directly behind a manger, I realize how thankful I am that God sent LOVE’S pure light back into my life.
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