28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 The Message (MSG)

Have you ever sat up at 2 am wondering where your lover was? Wondering why they weren’t taking your calls or responding to your text messages? Why wouldn’t they love me? Why wouldn’t they choose me? I’ve often found myself pondering these things with regard to all types of relationships – whether it be family, friends or my bae.

I had sacrificed so much of myself to hold on to relationships that weren’t mutually beneficial for so long that I had completely come to the end of myself. Believe it or not, I’m grateful for that pain. Without those lessons I wouldn’t be who I am today.

Anyhow, before I go off on a tangent, I had come to the end of myself. There was no one on this earth that I could talk to who would understand my complex life or so I thought. Over the years, I had continuously placed myself in toxic situation after toxic situation. Not realizing that I continuously broke my own heart by straying away from the one who truly loved me, Jesus Christ.

You see, all of us have a soft spot. Mine is my heart, I have this habit of just loving people. Whether they deserve it or not. Much like King David in the Old Testament, I lacked love and I thought if I gave love I would receive love. So oftentimes I’d give love to people and never get it back. I grew up in a dysfunctional family and that dysfunction often bled over into all of my relationships. I’ve been hurt deeply but I’ve also hurt others. I say all of this to say that I spent a lot of time looking for love in all the wrong places. This left me with a shattered heart, low self-esteem, and in an identity crisis (these three things encompass hundreds of problems God has helped me through.)

Long story short, I was a trainwreck! A lot of us make the mistake of thinking we gotta have it all together if we want to even approach the throne of God. Can I keep it 100? God met me where I was at! Crawling out of the bed with a man that could care less about me. God was right there beaconing me to come home to Him. He that has loved me before I was even thought of.

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 New Living Translation (NLT)

Today, I can confidently say that God picked me up and dusted me off. God chose me and called me. God set me apart. Gone are the days where I lay awake waiting for someone to love me. *insert dramatic gasp with placement of hands over heart* It wasn’t until I got in real relationship with God that I changed. I owe it all to Jesus, he worked on me daily to change my heart. No more toxic relationships, whether it be familial, friendships or a bae. God changed my heart and filled me with more love than I could have ever asked for.

Disclaimer: This is really not a blog for the holier than thou folks because we are gonna keep it all the way real over here.

I’d prefer to conclude this blog with a short summarization for all my folks with short spans of attention. This is for you!

The Word: 28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” 

The Story: I didn’t know what love was until I stopped looking for it in people and started receiving it from God.

The Lesson: No matter how jacked up you may think you are, the One who created you thinks you’re a masterpiece. Look to God for love and acceptance not this world.

Bonus: Here’s a good worship song just for you! Kirk Franklin Jesus Let Me Touch You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujWgmyppC4s

© 2018 The Love JC Ministry, all rights reserved.

Relationship Vs. Religion Part 1