Who's Your Daddy?

Wow. The first thing I've noticed about loving my neighbor as myself is...I can't do it!!! What a great way to start the month, right? I had some pie in the sky notion that I would be like Mother Theresa walking around with a benevolent smile on my face, gladly offering grace and service to all who came near. Ha. So much for idealistic fantasies. I am finding Jesus to be much more like a gardener with a sharp hoe relentlessly digging up the weeds in my heart in order to make the soil softer and more able to receive what He wants to plant. It's funny too, whenever He plucks up a weed, He shows it to me. "Look at this one, see all those roots...that was a nasty one. Oh, did that hurt when I yanked it out? Sorry, but you'll thank me later." 

Yes, this morning was a weed yanking morning. It began yesterday, that's when all those notions I had flew out the window and reality came marching in. This is the deal. How can I love my neighbor as myself when my foundation is askew? When my motives of why I love, who I love and how I love are just a little off? This changes my focus from God to god. Who's your daddy? It's whoever has a hold on your heart, your attention, your gaze. It's such a challenge to keep God as God and not make people little gods that I use to extract things from. Good things. Love, companionship, warmth, friendship, security, respect etc. It's not that I shouldn't have those things in my life and in my relationships. It's when the focus is on those things rather than the person. If that's my focus, I'm not loving you. If my motive for loving you in the first place was based on me, what can I get from this, how will you meet my needs, what will you do for me, what kind of foundation is that? Can it stand the test of time? My experience is no, not hardly. Will it bring pain and disappointment, yes!

So this begs the question how then can I love others as I love myself. Note it doesn't say, 'love others for yourself.' Seems like that's kinda what comes natural though. First of all let's just get this out on the table, I can't.  2 Corinthians 9,10 says it this way:
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

Secondly, He will. And He may just begin by weed pulling. It isn't about performance! I could try and pretend to really love others and I might look okay on the outside, but that will get old, and my true colors will eventually sneak out. But, I want to really love others, from a pure heart. And this is gonna require looking at the root of the weeds...and letting the truth of who He is permeate the deepest part of my heart, setting right the things that are askew. Getting rid of faulty foundations, wrong motives, and unrealistic expectations. He does the work, I just have to show up and be willing to look at what He shows me; repent, forgive, shed a few tears, receive His truth, reject the lies...whatever it is. The coolest thing is that He is gentle. It's kind of like tweaking your car mirror so you can get a better view...sometimes we need a little tweaking so we can see His face again. And when that happens, He is just making room for the flowers of love to begin to grow!

PS I promised pics of Simply Grace at Lonestar...here's a few!