Day 43 - Tearing Down the Walls

       This journey so far has proved to be an AMAZING learning experience thus far.  I've been learning about myself, about God and who He is, and who I am in Him.  It has been incredible.  The next phase of my training seems to be in LOVE.  I find that oddly appropriate as we approach Valentine's Day.

       When I look at the gospels there was love in everything that Jesus did.  In every miracle, Jesus had love and compassion for the people involved.  In order to pursue a life of living miracles we must pursue LOVE.  Like everything I do, I don't just wade in, I have to do it full force!  I watched Heidi Baker, who just oozes love out of every pore of her body, last night.  I went to Borders today and bought a book, Thrift Store Saints: Meeting Jesus 25 cents at a Time.  It was an excellent book about loving people and truly learning to have a servants heart.

        I find it hilarious that when I was a new Christian and I would pray these BIG FULL OF FAITH prayers, "God give me a heart for Your people, help me to LOVE them like YOU love them," that the God of the Universe was actually listening and now He is answering all of those prayers in the most unlikely ways!  I woke up this morning praying for someone that I used to have to struggle to even be in the same room with.  It's not that I didn't like the person.  I did.  I just was extremely uncomfortable around them for whatever reason.  It is awfully ironic, or not so much really, more God, that this is the very person that I am called to LOVE like Christ loves the church.  I woke up praying for my new friend this morning.  As I prayed for this friend I felt the walls around my heart coming down.

         I would bet almost everyone on this planet has some sort of wall up around their heart.  Everyone has been hurt in some way by someone at some point.  We build walls to protect us from letting it happen again.  Unfortunately, those walls keep us from being able to love like Jesus loved.  He had no walls, He loved everyone.  I am so grateful that He is helping me to learn to love someone who I once found it very difficult to love.  I know that I will be able to let His love shine so strongly through me that other people around me will let their walls come down too.  Then maybe, just maybe, they will be able to love someone else until their walls come down.  God would be so glorified if we were all walking around sharing His genuine love.  I can only begin to imagine the amazing goodness that would result from hundreds or thousands of people having a genuine love encounter, even if it was only one, it would still blow my mind.

          I cannot wait to see what God has planned for my new friend and I.  I cannot wait to see all the good that is surely to come from learning to walk more and more in His love every single day.  I expect AMAZING THINGS! I will keep tearing down the walls with LOVE!