Religion tells us that to be accepted we must meet an unattainable standard of do’s and don’ts. This causes us to hide our true selves in order to find acceptance. Jesus came to dismantle this horrible cycle and made a way for us to authentically connect with others while being our authentic selves.
Our relationships are supremely influential in our lives and determine our life outcomes to an enormous degree. The problem is, many times, we participate in relationships that aren’t necessarily healthy for us. The good news is that we can choose to build nourishing relationships with Jesus and others by focusing on and prioritizing them and being mindful of the influence they have on us.
We want our lives to have significance… to be significant. But most of our moments seem so insignificant. The Kingdom of God revolutionizes true significance and shows us that every moment is an opportunity to discover that there is more.
We all want more than this. In order to find it, we think we need to be more than… “them.” We carry the heavy and unrealistic expectations of others and ourselves to be more than. But what if what we are looking for is found in the opposite? What if we find more in being less?
It’s easy to love those who love you. But if we really want to change the world (and our lives) we need to learn to love those who choose to be actively against us. It’s illogical, but it’s the most powerful love the world has ever known.