When people encounter you do they only meet you? Often we care about the perception of who we are more than who we may actually be. We value the visibility of what we are doing more than the fullness of heart in having had the opportunity to do it. This is why self-image, job titles, hype and persona are followed. We care more about receiving followers than we do about leading them somewhere other than here. Learning to live is understanding that the meaning of life itself is to reproduce: literally, joy, love, hope, strength, faith and victory. That to be empty is to be filled and to reserve no portion of any day, blessing, resource or love for tomorrow. We so often keep the best part for us but the best part was truly a gift we were to give away. This isn’t running on empty, this is making space for full.
INTRODUCTIONS
How do you introduce yourself? What are the first things you want to know about someone you meet? These two things, if you answer honestly, will reveal your heart posture and your true ability to give. If you only care about those who can do something for you, you’ll never unlock the leader in you that can build up success in others and even worst you’ll only connect yourself to who is hot now and miss who is about to blaze a trail. This isn’t your fault entirely, it’s fear and insecurities fault. Those two siblings thrive off of one another and they take more than they can give. Fear Jae’s the unknown and insecurity hates vulnerability. Both of those are required to love adequately because giving love away and receiving nothing hurts and being vulnerable requires the appearance and surfacing of what’s broken in us. We already filter life to blot our imperfections so if we won’t even post a picture without editing how could we ever live raw and transparent? Connecting heart to heart and person to person will not only increase your network but it will increase those you can call family. It will allow you to see the person and share your person and grow. What’s on the surface needs to take root otherwise anything will wash it away. The relationships you make shouldn’t be able to be deleted with one unfollow click. Real relationships will foster tight-knit bonds and these bonds aren’t really made until you introduce the real you then what’s beyond you. Are you who you’ve said you are? Are you afraid of who you’re not?
IS IT LOVE?
Have you made love available or do you o my give it to who/what deserves it? Did you know love is a healing agent? Removing it from what’s broken doesn’t protect it, it causes it to go obsolete. And love that doesn’t love another isn’t love at all, it’s self. In as much love that can’t remain in spite of someone’s imperfections or life’s frailties isn’t love at all, it’s self-preservation. Each day or love should/must grow. If each moment of life requires a new second what makes us think the same level of love is good enough? Yes, love is love but as we mature our understanding of love should increase and our capacity of how much we can hold should follow. Love has no limit, it forgives and gives infinity but on every level, we can reach a ceiling. It’s not until we learn to break through in love that we will find grace to love. Love requires grace. Grace is what isn’t deserved. True love is selfish but always rewarding. It stretches depths in our souls and creates space to be filled. You’ve been running low because you’ve been trying, out of fear, to reserve love for when life/someone hurts you. Don’t allow your brokenness to cut those around you, let it heal you. As you’re mended back together you’ll see that love is the only way to smooth out the edges.
WHAT AM I SAYING?
I’m saying that we can’t stop giving love because we are offended. We can’t hate people because they hate and we can’t kill them because they’ve killed us. We can’t be more of the same, we have to be the few that are different. If our fight for justice leaves only us remaining it was reversed genocide, not redemption. When people meet you face value will only entertain and we know a movie only lasts so long before reality hits. How many opportunities have we missed because we handed someone our resume instead of our heart? How many genuine connections have we missed because we posted what we just bought instead of what we just gave? Life is too short to not live long. Living forever isn’t trying to avoid death, it’s giving even unto it. I want to encourage you this week and month to show the real you. Where you find you’re not good – make better and where you find you’re successful – give away the blessing of it not the glamour of it. You have so that you can give and you carry love so that you and others can actually live. Don’t limit your love and you’ll live forever. Don’t limit sharing what’s beyond you. Every conversation should give what’s within not stop with-end.
Written in Nashville, TN while being a guest speaker for United Pursuit Reunion 17