2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Psalms 126 GW; Ezra 6-8 GW
Plant seeds of love.
When a religious leader asked Jesus what the Greatest Commandment is, He responded:
“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 commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 NIV)
In other words, our primary mission in life is to love God, love others. Every person we meet falls into this commandment. Therefore, God’s asking us to plant seeds all of the time, even when our hearts ache from the trials of life.
Hurting hearts first inclination isn’t to love. When something happens that shatters our world, planting seeds of love becomes more difficult. People want others to hurt with them. But God wants us to give Him our hurts, trusting He will heal our hearts.
Part of life’s journey is loving God in the valleys. When God isn’t answering, we’re to trust. Even as the salty droplets roll down our cheeks, we’re to plant seeds of love.
Hearts heal with love.
Loving others amid your pain will help heal your heart. When my nephew died seven years ago, my life was devastated. As God healed my heart, he led me to a new career, coaching. Six months after Cody’s death, I taught my first tennis class. Six years later, we’ve introduced 100’s of kids to the sport of a lifetime. As our high school students move onto college, new kindergarteners begin their journey. What for me started as seeds planted with tears is now my joyful harvest.
Life’s hardships will cause tears. But trust Jesus with your pain will bring a joyful harvest. The seeds you plant with tears will bring you eventual joy. Trust God with your pain. Let Him heal your heart.
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Lord, thank You for healing our hearts. Forgive us for hurting others because of our pain. Help us today; give You our pain. As we release our hurts to You, heal our hearts. Let us plant seeds of love, watering them with our tears. May we joyfully sing during the harvest from the seeds we plant. Let Your light shine brightly within us. IJNIP. Amen
Question for reflection
What seeds are you planting?