all you need is LOVE.... right?

What is it about the simple truths in life that make people think you nieve if you believe them or live by them? Is it the fact that we in our humaness can not fathom the simplicity of grace, love or forgiveness so we add to it with our own "actions" that we act like need to be done in order to "earn" it? I find myself in this cycle a lot. I find myself at a place in need of forgivness and the grace of God and I ask and receive it but still find guilt that makes me feel like I need to pray more, read my bible more, serve at a soup kitchen ANYTHING to absolve this sin I am wanting to be forgiven for. It is silly really. I mean, God has forgiven me and washed it clean and yet I am running around in my own human flesh thinking I can DO something to atone MYSELF. It is ridiculous and sad. There was a time in my life when I thought that Christianity was all about that. All about DOING .. THINGS, stuff to MAKE me a Christian. To make me "worthy" of grace. Almost 8 years ago, holding my son's lifeless body in my arms I had an epiphony .. an "aha" moment. A moment where I "met" God and talked with him in a way that shook me to my core and made me NEVER want to be what I was before that moment. A HUMAN being attempting to EARN salvation by DOING. It was as if my eyes were opened for the first time. I received grace and clung to it. I longed for a REAL relationship with God, not a religion that I could "control" in order to make my own way to "feeling" like a "good christian."
Every time I would open my Bible the words would hit me different than they had before. I remember reading the following and understanding it clearer than ever.
In Matthew Chapter 22:34-39
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’b 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’c 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.



I mean Jesus himself just gave us the "cliffnotes" of our entire Christian walk. How amazing is that.. we can read it and TRUST it to be the TRUTH. I understood that it all comes down to LOVE. LOVE for God entirely and LOVE for others that we can give away ... It blew my mind. That this Savior who LOVES me and FORGIVES me (AND forgets my sin) wants me to then GIVE LOVE away to others. To show HIM to others with LOVE. How do we expect to have Christ be shown in us if we can't even follow simple direction FROM his lips?

Anyway, kind of a ramble Blog today but I was up all night thinking about this.. and just really in a deep conversation with God. He has put up with so much from me and has given me such an amzing oportunity to SHOW Love and BE Love to people and I intend on being and doing just that.

Hope you all have an AMAZING day and weekend!

H