This morning as I was moving about the homestead, I realized the days of looking but not seeing are past. There is a potted lily that screams to be repotted. It has depleted all the soil of its original pot. It needs attention. As I stood at the pot, promising out loud to fix it today, I apologized for my “selective seeing” that had so cruelly neglected it.
We humans have a way of selectively seeing what we want to see and ignoring what we don’t. I find that while today it is my pitiful lily, most frequently it is more personal, most frequently it is something about me that needs attention, but “not today.” The list of things about myself that I really need to look at honestly and start to get in order is quite long. How about you?
My list includes projects that sit waiting for my attention, drawers and closets that need to be purged, and then there’s me. I sort of need a global overhaul. I could use more exercise, I could use more self-discipline, I could use less down time and more purposeful time. I tell myself, “How about repotting that lily as your first step toward regaining a grip on truly seeing what is around me?”
The LORD created us as human “beings.” As such, we are wired to be present, to be attentive, most especially to the needs of others and to our own wellbeing. We are taught to love one another as we love ourselves. We get the first part, love one another, but I’ve realized that the second part we sometimes gloss over and are selective about recognizing our personal needs beginning with our spiritual needs.
Our love for ourselves begins with our recognition of the LORD’s love for us. It is the LORD’s love that is at the source of our own being. The LORD is love. We are created in love, by love, for love. And we know that this love is so pure and so authentic that it willed our salvation and life at the cost of our savior’s life. But that sacrifice was made with love for love of the Father and love of us. To truly see, we must begin with love. We must notice, recognize, embrace the love of the One “in whom we live and move and have our being.”
This morning, as I said my prayers for the day, I included myself. I prayed to the LORD for clear vision to see myself as I am, to bring my real needs to the LORD, and to seek to love and care for myself as the LORD commands me to do so that I can love the LORD more entirely and love others more genuinely.
Let us all love ourselves as our savior loves us. Let us remember that we were on his mind on Calvary. Let us claim the lives He died to give to us by seeing what is clearly before us and humbly walking in His footsteps.
Until tomorrow, let us all love well.
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