your community, yourself.
I don’t have to tell you that sometimes love smells pretty bad. Sometimes it’s reallllly messy. And sometimes it’s just plain uncomfortable. But, as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, we are not called to comfort. Mama, we are called to greatness. And if we choose to do small things with great love, we can navigate this crazy trip called motherhood, one overdue math assignment, one broken teen heart, one impromptu jump into the shower at a time.
Roadblocks to love
Here are a few common roadblocks we might experience on our journey to love.
Unworthiness: I think everyone believes, at one time or another for whatever reason, that they aren’t worthy of love. Well, we’re going to send that lie straight back to the pit of hell from whence it came! In Jeremiah 31:3, the Lord says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” You. Love. Everlasting. Sit with that truth. Soak it in. Believe it. He sent his Son to die for you. Before you were in your mother’s womb he knew you. You are lovable and you are loved. End of story.
Wounds: Maybe you’ve allowed yourself the exquisite joy of loving another person with everything you’ve got, only to be crushed when that love wasn’t reciprocated. Or it was betrayed. Or taken advantage of. Or discarded out of hand. I’m so very sorry you were hurt in that way! Here’s the good news: unconditional love is possible, because God loves us without condition and God is real. The Divine Physician wants to bind up your wounds and make you whole again, able to receive his abundant love until your heart overflows. Don’t allow fear to keep you from experiencing the greatest love of all—God’s love for you.
Selfishness (personal agenda/selfish desires): Sometimes we can get caught up in the “what’s in it for me” mentality regarding relationships. We don’t want to give love unless we know we’ll get something in return. But that’s not what God calls us to. He calls us to lay down our lives, to love as he loves, even those who hate us. The Holy Spirit can help us purify our desires and foster a more unconditional, self-giving love if we ask him to. So, let’s ask.
Yield to the power of the Holy Spirit
(prayer)
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to your holy will, which is love and mercy itself. (Closing prayer from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy)
Come, Holy Spirit—fill me with your love. Amen.
GPS: God Positioning System
(scripture)
“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” — John 3:16
“Let all that you do be done in love.” — 1 Corinthians 16:14
“Through love be servants of one another.” — Galatians 5:13
Roadside Assistance
(wisdom from the saints and others)
“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” — Saint Augustine of Hippo
“Sometimes my worst day—one filled with pain and suffering—in the eyes of God, is my best day if I’ve borne it cheerfully and I’ve borne it with love.” — Mother Angelica
“Let us remember that love lives through sacrifice and is nourished by giving. Without sacrifice, there is no love.” — Saint Maximilian Kolbe
“Love, to be real, it must cost—it must hurt—it must empty us of self.” — Saint Teresa of Calcutta
“Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul.” — Saint Teresa of Ávila
“When you know how much God is in love with you, then you can only live your life radiating that love.” — Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Pit Stop
(other resources)
• Look up 1 Corinthians 13, the well-known New Testament passage on love. Copy down or read aloud the passage, beginning with verse 1 and ending with “love never ends” in verse 8. Substitute the name of God everywhere the word “love” is referenced. Quietly meditate upon the true nature of God, who is love.
• Next, change things up, inserting your own name wherever the word “love” is referenced, beginning with verse 4 and ending with verse 6 (that is, “Heather is patient and kind; Heather is not jealous or boastful,” etc.). Meditate upon this modified version of the Scripture passage, especially as it relates to your vocation as a mother.
• Look up the song “You are Mine” by David Haas. Imagine God is speaking directly to you through the lyrics. If you’re a visual or audio person, there are videos with lyrics and music you can watch or listen to online.
• We all want to love and be loved. Perhaps you’ve read The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. There’s also a children’s version, appropriately called The 5 Love Languages of Children. I’ve found these books, along with some free online resources, to be very helpful in understanding how I, my husband, and our children show and receive love. I encourage you to check them out!
Your Ideas
Discuss Amongst Yourselves
(questions)
1. What is unconditional love? How do you practice this particular love in your home?
2. What does it mean to be “fearfully and wonderfully made,” as Scripture tells us in Psalms 139:14?
3. Consider a time when your best-laid plans took a back seat to the needs of your child or children. What were the circumstances? What was the result of your sacrifice?
4. What are two things you can do this week to allow God’s love to be poured into you? Into your children?
