Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.
St. Augustine
Almost daily, I fill journal pages with thoughts and concepts that flood my mind as I treasure hunt through the Bible. Ideas discovered in words that used to be just Bible verses, becoming treasures, leading to new ways of looking at life and living. Regularly, as I excavate, themes emerge, and I begin to assimilate; it’s all connected. These uncovered concepts change how I perceive every moment, and I feel compelled to share.
I had to explore the probability that we can experience untethered joy by loving unconditionally.
Can unconditional love lead us into joy? Truly living in each moment, without a single concern for the next. What if everything we did was for the good of the other person? Unconditional love.
This conjured up feelings of angst and concern; wouldn’t this lead to being taken advantage of? But didn’t Jesus tell us, if someone asks for your shirt, give Him your jacket too? Or if someone asks you to walk with them one mile, walk two. (Matt 5:40,41) The “what if” is removed from the equation if I take this to heart. This frees us to stop worrying about “what if it’s not fair, what if I don’t get my share, what if they don’t even notice my sacrifice.”
Instead of acting self-protectively, unconditional love intentionally seeks ways to give beyond ourselves. There is a layer of anxiety and stress attached to worrying about “what’s in it for me,” could I really release this? What if we took control of the situation, determining ahead of time that we would hold the other person’s best interest ahead of our own? What if we didn’t have “toes to get stepped on”? What if no one could take from us more than we were hoping to give? Freedom in this intentionality.
Another level of learning to trust my Heavenly Father is unearthed here. Replacing my ulterior motive buried deep within, with the kind of trust that can actually let go and trust Him to take care of me. I can only trust Him fully once I recognize His unconditional love for me. Laying all our shortcomings and selfish purposes at the feet of Jesus is where we begin to accept unconditional love. Acknowledging that we have received what we don’t deserve enables us to give unconditional love to others (Ephesians 2). As I breathe this in, letting the pieces connect, I recognize I can’t overflow with joy without first letting go of all selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3-5). It’s all connected.
Frequently the opportunity to apply this concept arises. And even though I know it, my flesh still fights, claws digging in protectively. There will always be that dark voice whispering, You can’t actually love unconditionally; you’ll be taken advantage of, or you’re not capable of loving like that….” And then the voice of Jesus breaks through, “Love them like I love you. I died for you. Not in some hypothetical or historical story, I actually spread out My arms and endured physical torture and darkness, for you. Love them like that because of Me. Not of your own might, but by My Spirit, that now lives within you.” And I must acknowledge that it’s only through God’s power that I can release my ambitions and enable His unconditional love to flow through me. Again and again (John 21:22, Philippians 2:3,4, 2 Corinthians 3:5 and 4:6,7).
Acknowledging that we do not have the power to love like that is the only way to liberate His power. Jesus gave us a promise to claim, “Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” John 16:24. To receive, we must ask for the ability to love unconditionally and the wisdom to discern when to establish boundaries (Matthew 5:43-47 and Matthew 10:14).
Each time I walk in this, choosing to align my actions with His teaching, I find unimaginable freedom that floods my soul. Freedom to enjoy each interaction without looking how to spin it to my advantage. The freedom to love deeper because I am looking for ways to fulfill the other person. The product of soul freedom is joy.
I don’t believe that it is coincidental that joy follows directly after love in Galatians 5:22. Living every moment grounded in love will only have one result, joy overflowing. And when we can live in this world with joy overflowing, only then can others begin to comprehend the depth of the love of God. It’s not our sermons or our theology that draws people to Jesus; it’s our joy.
“…so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them”, John 17:13. This kind of joy is contagious. And Jesus commission becomes natural, “As You sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” John 17:26. Sent into the world to be overflowing vessels of joy.
I encourage you to explore living, loving, and interacting unconditionally; you just might discover joy.
Listen and smile: Believe- Jimi Cravity