It Sets You Free…

The truth hurts. We’ve been told that a million times and we’ve also been told it sets us free. Both are accurate. And sometimes the things that hurt us most are truly the things that set us free. Somehow, redemption plays a part in that…and that’s where I sit now, that place in the middle, wondering what redemption will turn out to look like.

You’re going to meet a lot of people who aren’t who they seem to be. And all of my life, I’ve been the person who will confront them, call them out. And yet now, I hear the Father’s instruction, “love them anyway.” But loving in that context is not only frustrating, it seems wasteful.

But loving someone is never wasteful.

Consistency, faithfulness, loyalty… I’m convinced they are the three rarest qualities on earth. Because everyone has a story to tell, everyone has hurts, times when they were broken and it all plays a part in being unable to be those three things. Because somewhere in your life, someone wasn’t those things for you and now you find yourself lacking those very qualities in which you long for.

Inconsistency, unfaithfulness, the inability to be loyal…those come from selfishness and self preservation. That moment when you fail to think of someone else before yourself. We all fail at that..daily.

So if you’re lucky enough to find people who are consistent, faithful, loyal…hold onto them because it’s rare and because they’ve reached a place in their relationship with the Lord that carries a true depth. Because people who posses those qualities not only know the following truths, but put them into practice.

It’s impossible to love too much.

Faithfulness in the midst of uncertainty is a weapon that tears down the strongest walls.

Your loyalty should lie in love and in truth and if your loyalty lies with the One who is both love and truth, you will not be swayed by circumstances or heartbreaks.  The kind of love He gives and asks you to give will never be that which can be diminished even by the worst of wounds. Even in giving love to those who don’t receive it, you will never be left empty.