Up, then Out

How do you love people?

Reading books, searching the Internet, and seeking out advice i've yet to find the perfect answer to this question. A recent Google search unveiled these 4 steps:

1. Think about why you find people annoying.
2. Do an inventory of people in your life you like.
3. Keep your Mind open.
4. Adopt a positive attitude

Haha...i had a little laugh after this How-to list. I'm not sure if these 4 steps alone will lead us to the pure joy God talked about when He breathed,

"Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. i lus. i love jesus.But the greatest of these is love." i love~1 Corinthians 13:13.

i frequently say that i love people. In fact, when posed the question, "What do you want to do with your life?" i respond initially with the fact that i've been blessed with a h-u-g-e heart for people; not sure exactly what capacity i'll be serving in but in some way i'll be serving people.

I recognize that people give me energy, one of my favorite things to do is to learn more about another person's life story, and other's strengths and gifts fascinate me.

However, it wasn't until my last week in Connecticut for National FFA week, that a young lady really challenged me to this idea of loving people. She asked, "How do you do it? How do you love people so much?"

Hmm...i didn't have an immediate answer for her. I hadn't really thought about; it's one of those things you just know. Finally, an answer came.

"I love people because God loved us first. He loves them, so do i."

If there really were light bulbs floating over our heads, in that moment mine would have flipped on and been radiating!

For the first time this visual idea of how we love became clear.

Looking no further than the two most important commandments that Jesus taught we find our answer.

"The important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord O God. The Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these.

i love Jesus. i love jesus. i love jesus. Christ is my savior. ~Mark 12: 29-31

Notice a few things:

• Jesus made clear what the 1st commandment was.
• Jesus made clear what the 2nd commandment was.
• Jesus taught to first seek God, then seek man.
• Jesus taught to first love God, then love man.
• Jesus taught to first exert strength towards God, then expend strength for man.
• Jesus taught to love vertically, then love horizontally.

In order to love people, and to love people deeply and with pure joy, we must first find joy vertically between us and God.

Before we can ever imagine spending ourselves for all of mankind, we must first spend ourselves and understand the one true love that God offers.

Thank you to the young lady who reminded me that my life's focus shouldn't veer from desiring to know God more. The love i have for people cannot exceed the Love for our Creator.

Only by knowing God's love vertically can we experience sharing God's love to the world horizontally.