Invictus Tenet #1: Love

Knowing about love is one thing, but applying that knowledge in our daily lives is another. Change can be difficult, and growth is never comfortable. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Have you ever heard the adage that the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time? Well, that’s the best way to start loving the people around you better and the Lord more completely: one step at a time. So, as we start to bring this knowledge to life, there are some key points to keep in mind:

• Love is an action, not a feeling.
• Love doesn’t change based on circumstances.
• We can love people whether we think they deserve it or not.
• If we’re going to love the Lord, He wants us to do it with every part of our being.

Now let’s talk about how to actually make this happen.

There are lots of different ways to show people you love them. In fact, Gary Chapman has written an entire book on five of them. (You can get a copy of his book HERE.) He would tell you that you can show love to people by:

• acts of service
• giving gifts
• quality time
• words of affirmation
• physical touch

So if you’re struggling to put love into action, that’s a great place to start. Just pick one thing off the list and commit to do that each day for the person you love the most.

I’ll give you an example.

Every morning, I take a cup of coffee to Matt when he wakes up. (I wake up WAY before he does, so there’s always coffee ready in the pot by the time I see his lamp click on.) It’s not a big deal, but it’s small gesture, an act of service, every single day that shows him that I love him. Now here’s the kicker with this… Even if I’m upset with him (and, yes, that happens in our marriage too), I still take coffee to him. Every single morning. No matter what.

I do that because my love for him goes well beyond the way I feel at any given moment. Loving him is something I choose to do every single day when I wake up. And that always starts with a cup of coffee.

So take the first bite of the elephant. Pick one thing and do it every day. No excuses. No matter what. Over time, you can try other ways to show love, and you can add to the number of people you are showing love to. Before you know it, you’ll look up and that elephant will be all but gone. Living a life of love will be second nature to you, and you’ll wonder why you waited so long to put love into action.

And loving the Lord is no different.

Take it one step at a time. Start with making a commitment to spend time with Him every single day. No excuses. No matter what. Maybe it’s reading your Bible. Maybe it’s listening to and singing along with your favorite worship songs. Maybe it’s praying. Maybe it’s meditating. That part is up to you. But whatever you decide to do, do it every day without fail. 

Once that one thing becomes a habit, add another and another. And before long you’ll notice that loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind has become your natural rhythm. It has started to flow from you as easily as the air that you breathe, and you’ll wonder how you made it through the day without actively loving the Lord at every turn.

And on the days where you mess it all up, just take a deep breath and try again. God knows you’re not perfect, and the best news of all is that He will never love you any more or any less than He does right now.