If we will learn to love God, He will teach us how to love others. But it might be a little awkward….

One of the really incredible things about our journey to the water well in Uganda was all the lessons God taught me.  By the time we went to Uganda in 2016, I had been praying for years God would teach me how to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.  I remained stuck on that one verse.  Just trying to understand it and practically live it out.

Like any good Teacher, God would periodically test me on my progress.  God’s test are well documented.  He led the Israelites into the wilderness to test their hearts and see if they would obey. (Deut. 8)  He tested their hearts again by commanding them to only collect one day’s worth of mana. (Exodus 16)  The Spirit even led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested for forty days.  (Luke 4)

Often the poor Israelites did not pass the test the first time.  Unfortunately, I’m a lot like them.  But, our gracious Father always allows for re-takes. In fact, I don’t think you get to move on to the next lesson until you successfully complete the lesson at hand.

Periodically, God would give me “opportunities” to love Him.  I didn’t always recognize these “opportunities” and I certainly did realize they were “tests’.  Quite often, I just stumbled along arguing with myself about why I didn’t need to do the very thing I felt compelled to do.  Most of the time, I didn’t realize it was the Spirit compelling and my flesh resisting.  I just thought I had come up with another crazy thought or idea.

For example, one day a lady at work whom I had never met got diagnosed with cancer.  She was loved by many of my co-workers.  And so, they would periodically give updates regarding her condition.

Suddenly, I felt compelled to bring her a meal.  She was married with grown children.  I had 4 children under 8 years.  She lived at least 45 minutes away.  She requested vegan meals that were all natural which was a little different than just organic.  For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what I could possibly make that would fulfill her dietary needs.  Nor could I figure out why I needed to bring her a meal.  Yet, I felt increasingly compelled.

Eventually, I reached out to the stranger.  Came up with something to cook.  I hauled my children 45 minutes across town, knocked on her door and delivered our meal.  I’m sure she thought it was as odd as I did.  But she was grateful and loving.  And I was at peace.

I laugh now realizing, following God is awkward.

You see, I had been praying for God to teach me how to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.  God tested me.  Will you use your money to buy the groceries at the high end, all-natural organic grocery store?  Will you make a meal for a stranger even though you don’t want too or understand why you should have too?  Will you use your mind to do a little research to come up with an all natural/all vegan meal?  Will you use your time, energy, kitchen and car to provide/deliver a meal?

I didn’t know the stranger from work.  I didn’t love her.  But God knew her.  God loved her.

You see God fulfilled the second greatest commandment by teaching me how to live out the greatest commandment.  The fruit of loving God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength was loving my neighbor–the stranger at work–as myself.  (Matthew 22:37-39)

For when we love God, He will use us to love others.

Lord, teach us to live out our lives by loving You.  Help us to understand, the fruit of loving You will often be loving others.