The Repeat Offender ... Part 2
Thank you to everyone who commented on my last entry, the Repeat Offender. I found it interesting to read how other people are struggling with the same issue. It amazes me that if I am fighting this and I have such deep security and passion for the Lord, what is it like for all those people out there who don't have Him, yet? Clearly the intense desire to be loved, like only the Father can love, and yet, not know it can be fulfilled by Him is what is driving people to do such horrible things like the guy at Virginia Tech.
This is why we as "Christians" should dig deeper and fight even harder to be cleaned up ourselves. We need to be 100% sure that our Daddy loves us and no matter what hurt comes our way, we need to know it can be forgiven with His strength. Think what it will be like when we have reached this solid knowledge and walk in it. Think how we will be able to love others in a deeper and more meaningful way.
For the last 8 months or so, the Lord has been teaching me about giving with out any expectations. At first it was about stuff and money. Am I willing to give up something or some dollars without any expectation of receiving back from Him? Please know that I am fully aware that God blesses us when we give. But there is a new level out there. It's about literally adjusting your brain, confidently, to just doing what God tells you to do without any thoughts in the back of your mind that He is going to give you something down the line.
I am not sure I am making myself clear. This may be one of those thought processes best explained in person.
I guess where I am trying to go with this, is that the Lord showed me yesterday that I need to take my "no expectations" thought process to a new level. I need to apply it to loving my repeat offenders, with no strings attached.
What I have realized is that I hold back on completely loving my repeat offenders, because well, I am hurt. So, I protect myself and hold onto my hurts as my shield. Every once in awhile I put that shield down and think, "I love them...here I go. I am going to love them, right now." And while I am loving them, in the back of my mind, I am expecting them to love me the way I am loving them.
Am I making any sense here?
I've been loving my repeat offenders with the expectation that someday they are going to love me the way I try to love them. Which has set me up to get hurt again and again and again.
Lesson #2 with the repeat offender - love them purely with no expectations of anything in return. Just love them.
I think by doing this, it takes the pressure off and puts the desires of being loved right back into the hands of the One and Only Lover.
Well, I get what I am trying to say here. Sorry if it doesn't make a bunch of sense. I just know that yesterday I had a deeper revelation. It's time to put down my sword and my shield. Its time to throw away my lists of hurts. It's time to love with no expectations.
This time the only expectation I have, is that the One I long for, the One I desire with all my heart, the only One who can truly love me, IS going to meet me.
Posted in: repeat offenders on Friday, April 20, 2007 at at 7:44 PM
You are totally making sense. As I was reading I kept thinking that this is a facet of true unconditional love.