Making us Whole Again

What is the greatest gift you can give someone?

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. - Romans 12:9-10

What can I do to day to show my love to someone else?

What can I do to show my love to myself?

In today's reading, we are advised, instructed, almost commanded to go out of our way to outdo one another in showing honor, in outwardly sharing our affection, in being truly in love with all of God's children.

Can we do that without feeling absolutely over the top about ourselves?

I don't think so.

I think that is the problem we face today.  We need to learn how to love, and we need to start with ourselves.

Sometimes it takes a little pain, a little hurt for us to discover our inner strength, our inner ability to be true to ourselves and be ready to love.

I have a friend who is discovering that strength in himself right now.  Each day he awakens in fear and with pain.  He is reminded that life is short and that each day matters more than he imagined.

His thoughts turn away from himself and to his family.  Possibly for the first time in his life, he is concerned about others being concerned about him.  He is falling in love with himself and through his love of life, with his family and friends, all over again for the first time.

I know it sounds odd.  But for us to open our hearts to others, we need to be whole.  We need to call on the Spirit of God in us to fill in all the cracks and make us one with God, so we can reach out to others and help them heal.

This is what my friend's wife is doing, and what his friends are doing with him and for him.

Love takes the hurt to heart and turns it into healing.  It gives us a place for the pain, a warm, embrace for the stab of fear.  It makes us whole again.


So, how do we begin to become whole?

We need to take time to be quiet and at peace.  We need to let God fill that time with his whispers and silence.  And we need to feel his anointing hand.  Then we can embrace ourselves and others.

This day and every day, take some time to become whole again.  To face all the day has to throw at us, we need to be whole.

More to come...