I was studying the bible, specifically Matthew 5, and what I was able to understand was so impactful. Jesus spoke about the Old Testament and the laws that were seen as the only way. But what was profound about this was that Jesus said there’s a difference between those who follow him and those who follow the law. I have spent this quarantine studying the word of what the meaning behind these scriptures are and something that has continued to stick out to me is first the utmost importance to serve and honor God above all else. But secondly, the importance of LOVE in everything we do and to make sure we are capable of extending that love to others. It has been such an interesting past 3 months full of emotions, tears of grievance and tears of joy. However, I have been able to remain grounded in the word of God and have felt love grow so heavily within me. Heart check, after heart check and evaluation after evaluation and at every end point, I ask myself, how can you love even more? How can you be more compassionate? What does love mean to you? Am I holding onto past trauma? How can I be more like Christ?
I put so much emphasis on this because it is so easy to allow past pain and hurts of my own life become my focus and relive the very things that I thought I had healed from. My heart checks are vital to my well being because it helps me put into perspective who I actually am, not excluding what is placed on my mind and what my realities are but taking it all in and saying, yes, this is my now and this is what I am feeling but this isn’t my forever. It may seem that life can be crumbling or that the stresses of family or life or this pandemic and all of the terrible crimes of our society can be weighing you down. But I want to encourage you to take some time, breathe, ask God to enter your situation, make Jesus your focus and have a heart check.
