Daily Receiving Practice

Here is a guest post by Christina Lovell. She is sharing what God spoke to her through Caron Loveless at a recent women's meeting at The Rock of Roseville. I have been trying this for the past few weeks and it is impacting my perspective already!

"We can not give what we do not have."

In the Old Testament, the first five of the Ten Commandments are about loving God first. The last five are about loving others. In the New Testament, JESUS gave a new commandment, "... that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another" (John 13:34, NKJV).

Loving others is how we show that we love God. We are loving God by loving others. Loving Others = Loving God. But it is impossible to do this without receiving HIS love first. As humans our love leaks. Our love is handicapped (due to such things as life wounds, ways we were mistreated, how we were raised, when we were not shown God's love, etc.)

Try this "Daily Receiving Practice" each day to RECEIVE His love for you personally. Out of His love, we can then love others.

Each day, take five minutes to sit in a quiet place. Lie down and close your eyes. (As women, if we sit up and look around, we can get distracted by what needs to be done around us.) Do not worship, try to press in, or pray. Simply say "Lord, You see me here. You love me completely." Breathe His love in, and breathe it out.

Then, throughout the day, look for moments HE will give to extend HIS love to others. At night write down how you loved that day. If there were times you missed it, JESUS replies, you must have forgotten how much I love you! Love better next time.

This has truly changed my life. I sit to receive His love even if I've missed my quiet time before our children get up. I remember one morning. as I sat receiving, I heard our children running toward me. I said, "Lord, here they come!" And HE said, "I will pour my love out on you even if you cannot give Me the five minutes. Because you have chosen the better part, to receive, I will freely give what you need in a moment of time."

Share this practice with your children. Do it together! You will be surprised at the unity and love they will have for their brothers, sisters, and God. Remember, "We love HIM because HE first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Receive His love together and then see how it flows out to one another.

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:12-13).

"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love" (John 15:9).

"... the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

"Let all that you do be done with love" (1Corinthians 16:14).

What Really Matters

Yesterday I had one of those kinds of experiences that makes you reflect on life. I visited a friend who is in prison. It was an intense, emotional time. Today I am in a sort of limbo. Grieving for my friend and the hardship she is going through, and constantly lifting her up in prayer, while trying to resume my normal life.

I don't have major goals for the day. Just caring for my children and my home. It would be easier if I could distract myself with a busy day. I would be able to ignore the ache inside, or at least try to fill it with a new purchase or a fun experience.

But now, sitting outside in the sun, swinging my one-year-old and blowing bubbles with my three-year-old, I feel peace. No, the world isn't fair. Yes, I long for Jesus to return and make things right. My friend is still clinging desperately to God in the midst of trials far greater than I can comprehend. But yesterday I did what mattered. Today I can do the same. In simplicity of this moment, I can love.

Desire

I have felt God call my heart to deeper intimacy. As a wife and mother, I have also felt that this was not practical for me at this time in my life. Having a short devotional time in the morning was often more than I could manage. So, for a couple of years, I tried to tell my heart to wait until my children are older. Finally, I could no longer stand it. In desperation, I cried out to God to show me how I can pursue Him even now.

I have talked with other moms who tell me that they feel the same way. One mom shared that God showed her that her children are like weights strapped to her arms and legs. She cried out to God, how do you expect me to run the race with so much to carry? He told her that she would not run fast, but she would become strong. So this blog is for any mom who, like me, needs the encouragement of others on this race (sometimes it feels like an obstacle course!) of godly motherhood.

I love this quote from Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Jeanne Guyon:

“. . . you may feel that you simply are not one of those people capable of a deep experience with Jesus Christ. Most Christians do not feel that they have been called to a deep, inward relationship to their Lord. But we have all been called to the depths of Christ just as surely as we have been called to salvation."

If all have been called, then that includes moms. I believe that mothers do not have to wait until their children are grown to pursue God in a deeper way. Let us encourage each other so that we will not grow weary on this journey alone.

Lord, it is so difficult for us as moms to commit to anything for ourselves. Give us a holy determination to push through every obstacle. Begin to transform our perspective. Show us how much more You have for us, even today.

(Originally posted 7/24/06)