Life Expands When We Open Our Hearts To One Another
I never knew the joy that life could bring when willing to open my heart to another. I seem to talk a lot about religion because of my growing up years. There is religion and then there is something altogether different. It’s being in a love relationship with Jesus. One is about structured order and putting together set phrases and ways of behaving. The other is the beauty of a heart that yields to another because you’ve found the real and living Person you want to be close to is such a precious jewel. Religion, in contrast, causes you to have a high and mighty viewpoint of yourself. It likes to make you think that you can attain knowledge for knowledge sake and that is good enough. You are the end goal of all things. Do more. Act more. Talk more. Make yourself something. Lift yourself. Go after those power positions. Get that attention.
In contrast, what a sweet privilege it is to find that to open our heart to another takes vulnerability, being willing to listen, yielding your own sense of self because someone is so precious. Learning from others and letting them speak into your life is a gift. How my own life has expanded in multiple ways by being in a love relationship with Jesus. I’ve found His love is worth letting all go and He is right there at the point of struggle where the heart may want to cling to old habits and has a hard time letting go. He lets us know that the fear and anxiety will have no place to hide and you will find courage in His love to put your hand in His and let Him lead you forward. You take that step and it’s like a snake shedding skin. The old gives way to something so fresh and new that you never even want to look back.
When our hearts are open to Jesus, it is then that He can do stuff. It’s so easy to speak words and move our lips and have our heart not be in what we say or do. Jesus Himself said that so many honor him with their lips but their hearts were far from Him. It’s easy to move our lips. But what happens when we open our hearts? Reminds me of the quote, “When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.” John Bunyan
I’ve been heavy on the side of religion in my past. It’s a cold and obstinate way to live. There is no depth of intimate closeness with a Living Person. There isn’t any closeness to any person. Pride never allows for that. In the love of Jesus, He free’s us from that need to be our own everything because He shows us that He has become our everything. And in that sweet freedom, we can then open our hearts to one another.
I love when my heart is open to another. You can learn new things and experience new things you never would otherwise. I learned how to play Dutch Blitz recently. A friend taught me her favorite game. She also shared her hot cocoa from her native country and the method she uses to make it. She taught me to slow down and enjoy face to face conversation by being with me throughout the day. She loved going out and experiencing the town I live in and I got to see and do so much when I was with her. My heart was open and my life expanded.
Recently, a friend taught me how to play Skip-Bo. She has shared so much of her life with me over the years and my life has expanded. She has sacrificed her time to invite me over and include me into her life. Amazing how life expands through sacrifice. Opening our heart to another definitely takes a sacrifice of our time and who we are. Working that out is awkward most of the time. It’s uncomfortable at first. But the end result is a joyful expansion - kinda like that extra pack of cards I own. It’s called an expansion pack. The original set of cards only allows up to four people to play. Some are left out who want to play. But the expansion pack allows for double the amount of people to play the game. And how much fun it is to see what happens when more get to slap down cards. The joy and laughter that erupts is fun to see and experience.
You’ve got this! Start with your love relationship with Jesus. Be with Him and open your heart to Him. Turn back to Him. (It’s called repentance) He’ll show you how to be close. I remember the time I was desperate and wanted to be real with God. I sat on the floor in my livingroom alone and I didn’t have much to say in the moment. It was strange to be there with God. I sat for a long time and I remember even being upset after I got up because I felt that nothing had happened and it felt like a waste of time. But I noticed something profound had happened in me. I wasn’t as angry inside as I had been before. I was much more patient with my kids. I could handle more of the harsh things that life threw my way. And it was a HUGE contrast to how I’d been before. And once you are changed by Him and healed on the inside, you never go back. He had expanded me on the inside and what was so tight and could be knocked about easily in response to life, I wasn’t as easily moved. Love does that in you. Love conquers all things. Life isn’t perfect and no one will ever be. Ever. But isn’t it the sweetest to have a Living Savior who will pour in more and more of His love when you need it? And the longer you are with Jesus, the more you realize you cannot live without His love. You need Him more and more.
In contrast, what a sweet privilege it is to find that to open our heart to another takes vulnerability, being willing to listen, yielding your own sense of self because someone is so precious. Learning from others and letting them speak into your life is a gift. How my own life has expanded in multiple ways by being in a love relationship with Jesus. I’ve found His love is worth letting all go and He is right there at the point of struggle where the heart may want to cling to old habits and has a hard time letting go. He lets us know that the fear and anxiety will have no place to hide and you will find courage in His love to put your hand in His and let Him lead you forward. You take that step and it’s like a snake shedding skin. The old gives way to something so fresh and new that you never even want to look back.
When our hearts are open to Jesus, it is then that He can do stuff. It’s so easy to speak words and move our lips and have our heart not be in what we say or do. Jesus Himself said that so many honor him with their lips but their hearts were far from Him. It’s easy to move our lips. But what happens when we open our hearts? Reminds me of the quote, “When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.” John Bunyan
I’ve been heavy on the side of religion in my past. It’s a cold and obstinate way to live. There is no depth of intimate closeness with a Living Person. There isn’t any closeness to any person. Pride never allows for that. In the love of Jesus, He free’s us from that need to be our own everything because He shows us that He has become our everything. And in that sweet freedom, we can then open our hearts to one another.
I love when my heart is open to another. You can learn new things and experience new things you never would otherwise. I learned how to play Dutch Blitz recently. A friend taught me her favorite game. She also shared her hot cocoa from her native country and the method she uses to make it. She taught me to slow down and enjoy face to face conversation by being with me throughout the day. She loved going out and experiencing the town I live in and I got to see and do so much when I was with her. My heart was open and my life expanded.
Recently, a friend taught me how to play Skip-Bo. She has shared so much of her life with me over the years and my life has expanded. She has sacrificed her time to invite me over and include me into her life. Amazing how life expands through sacrifice. Opening our heart to another definitely takes a sacrifice of our time and who we are. Working that out is awkward most of the time. It’s uncomfortable at first. But the end result is a joyful expansion - kinda like that extra pack of cards I own. It’s called an expansion pack. The original set of cards only allows up to four people to play. Some are left out who want to play. But the expansion pack allows for double the amount of people to play the game. And how much fun it is to see what happens when more get to slap down cards. The joy and laughter that erupts is fun to see and experience.
You’ve got this! Start with your love relationship with Jesus. Be with Him and open your heart to Him. Turn back to Him. (It’s called repentance) He’ll show you how to be close. I remember the time I was desperate and wanted to be real with God. I sat on the floor in my livingroom alone and I didn’t have much to say in the moment. It was strange to be there with God. I sat for a long time and I remember even being upset after I got up because I felt that nothing had happened and it felt like a waste of time. But I noticed something profound had happened in me. I wasn’t as angry inside as I had been before. I was much more patient with my kids. I could handle more of the harsh things that life threw my way. And it was a HUGE contrast to how I’d been before. And once you are changed by Him and healed on the inside, you never go back. He had expanded me on the inside and what was so tight and could be knocked about easily in response to life, I wasn’t as easily moved. Love does that in you. Love conquers all things. Life isn’t perfect and no one will ever be. Ever. But isn’t it the sweetest to have a Living Savior who will pour in more and more of His love when you need it? And the longer you are with Jesus, the more you realize you cannot live without His love. You need Him more and more.
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