Big, Small, or Not at All
For those of you who do not know, our family recently relocated out of state. It has been a wild ride over the past 2 years. My husband and I founded Awaken International Ministries in 2008. For over a decade, we ran our own business and Awaken simultaneously. Two years ago we felt the call to go into full time ministry. With the Lord’s help, we took the steps necessary to make that happen. Fast forward two intense years later, here we are stepping into a completely new season!
Once settled in our new home, we declared a certain Monday to be the beginning of this new season. On this day, I began seeking the Lord for His will, His way, His heart, His plans. As I was sitting there, I heard in my spirit, “LOVE BIG.”
I am a homeschool mom of 14 years, and “Big” is actually a banned word in our classroom. Banned, as in, not allowed to be used in any writing or speaking. You must think of a “better, more descriptive” adjective to use, and use it. Consequently, LOVE BIG, seemed slightly insignificant to my first thoughts. However, deciding to persevere in what I had heard, I dug deeper.
King Solomon, in his wisdom, wrote in Proverbs 25:2, It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings to search out a matter. This is what the Lord is after, a heart that will seek Him out, one longing to know and hear from their King. We must be careful not to dismiss that still quiet voice, the voice that whispers, directs our steps, and reveals the Father’s heart and will to us. Daily we have a choice to make, will we rely on our own understanding and earthly wisdom, or will we put aside our earthly thinking and dig deep into what the Lord desires to do in our lives? As we listen and obey, a greater measure of the Lord’s wisdom and revelation are unlocked in our lives.
So…where to start? LOVE BIG…I thoroughly enjoy words. Reading, writing, vocabulary, etc. I also find much joy in a good word study.
Jesus said in John 15:13, Greater love has no man than this, to lay down His life for His friends. THIS IS BIG LOVE! This is our example, a life laid down, poured out for others. Love is sacrificial. Love thinks of others first. Love gives. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). In other words, BIG LOVE covers sins, by loving, forgiving, extending grace, and holding no record of wrong. Love is patient. Love is kind, is not proud, is not easily provoked. Love endures all things. This is a tall order, and can only be accomplished through a life fully surrendered to Christ. Love is the mark of one who has been redeemed, healed, and delivered! Love is the mark of one who has spent time with their Father.
BIG LOVE is influential. In John 13:35 Jesus says, By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another.
Some people are harder to love than others (a certain individual may pop into your mind even now), and this is exactly why we need the love of God in our hearts! It’s only as we realize, “We love because He first loved us,” (1 John 4:19) that we can demonstrate BIG LOVE to others. Every individual is in a different season of their life. Some are grieving, hurting, or stuck in cycles of destructive behavior. Others are having the time of their life, prospering, and filled with joy. While others are hardened, prideful, or angry. Loving others well shines the light of God into this dark world, into dark situations! If we are going to be completely honest with ourselves, we can all remember times when we have not loved big, but rather small or not at all. We cannot allow fear, laziness, busyness, or anything else keep us from loving others. This is the Father’s heart, that we would daily choose to LOVE BIG! Let’s make LOVING BIG our new mantra.
Will you join me in this? Will you LOVE BIG? Will you seek the Lord to see who in your life needs loved on today? Will you allow the Lord to show you anything that hinders you from LOVING BIG? I hope and pray the answer is a BIG YES!!
May the Lord be glorified by those who name the name of Jesus!
