This semester I made a list of some "goals" for this year. It ranged from working out to making A's and ya know, the basics. But when I thought about what my spiritual goals were this year, the first thought was to learn how to love others well. That seemed silly as I started thinking about it, of course I loved others. I began naming off all the people I loved. The list was pretty great, but why did I love them?

Do I love them because they are fun? because they love me? because there is some sort of obligation to love? because it just happened? These are all very real questions that we need to ask ourselves in order to love better. I feel like so often we say we love others, but have no real idea of what love means or is. We feel the love for these people and do love them, but as life continues it seems like we forget why we love them in the first place. It almost becomes dull or routine love. The more I thought about it, the more authentic my love became. I started remembering their hearts. Their strengths, their weaknesses, simply their selfs. Who they are is so deserving of love, but more importantly is whose they are. I love them because they are worth loving. Their hearts need held. I fully believe that if Jesus wanted us to walk alone, we'd be alone. He has called us to love. Not just the "love ya" love but the "I am here, where you are, and here for you" love. The "what is breaking your heart breaks mine" love. I am called to intentionally love not just my family or friends, but those strangers as well. It is definitely a task that does not happen overnight and is truly hard sometimes but it is a heart change that has already began to change my perspective of everyone and everything. It softens our hearts to a way where we feel a passion to love and it is a beautiful thing.

As I was praying for what this thought of loving others well meant, I felt overwhelmed with the love that found me. In my darkness, in my weakness, where I was at. Even today, his love is not failing me. I am loved in my mistakes. I am loved in my good things. I am loved in every way. I will never see the end of that kind of love. So often I find myself loving people who are with me all the time or on my same path. The thing that has opened my eyes is that the one who loves my soul, Jesus, loved me and continually loves me in my brokenness. In my flaws, he reaches out to meet me where I am and love on me so so well. What if because of this awe-shocking love of Jesus overflowing in our hearts came out through the way we love others as it was intended to be? What if we were brave enough to reach out and love the girl sitting next to us everyday in class? What if we spoke gracious words to that barista we see everyday? Love changes everything. True love is Jesus. God is love. He is perfect love. There is no flaw. There is no limit. There is no "I'm busy." There is nothing that can separate us from his love. He just pursues us in a way that brings me to tears the way my soul is cared for. When we love others the way Jesus loves us, we learn to love in a new way. We love because people are beautiful. We love because people are broken. We love because of people's hearts. We love because everyone is going through a storm or been through one or is about to go into one. We love because Jesus loves them. Every single part of them. He loves us where we are. We wear his name on us everywhere I go, let us be faithful to display who Jesus really is, a Savior who is waiting on his bride, us. Love well.