Before I became a Christian I was selfish and self-centered. I was argumentative and a bear to be around. Praise God that He rescued me from myself and gave me a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26)! True meaning is found when we love others above ourselves. We have the Divine privilege to take care of each other and to “…love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39 KJV).
If you struggle with meaning in your life, seek to help someone else and to support others in any way that you can. Help an elderly person to pay their bills, cook their meals, or simply spend time with them in conversation and encouragement. Write letters to your friends and share God’s Love with them. Call a person who is struggling and lend a sympathetic ear. This is God’s Will that we LOVE one another. When you LOVE, your life will feel better and you will be filled with “…the fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV)
God’s Love is as simple as that! I think we make it much more complicated and overwhelming a task. Look around you, what needs to be done?
- Cleaning the house is a way to show love to your spouse and family.
- Write a poem dedicated to someone you love.
- Prepare a delicious and healthy meal for someone.
- Volunteer your time at a homeless shelter.
- Do a good job at work to show love to your employer.
- Pray with someone.
There are many ways we can show God’s Love and they don’t have to be huge tasks. Just do something selflessly for someone without wanting anything in return then you will “…lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”(Matthew 6:20 KJV).
Love to you! My prayers are with you!
If you have yet to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please read my story God is not a man, so He does not lie, Or my post Feeling Depressed. Both detail how to become a forever child of God! Love to you!!
Scripture references taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Public Domain.
God does not lie 
I love your blog here, Jodi! So simple, so refreshing, very sweet testimony of a changed life!!
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Dear Aunt Linda,
Thank you for your comment! May God get all the glory!
Love,
Jodi
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I’m struggling with this right now. I help, a lot, but I do complain about it, so that means I am not doing it with love and I feel very bad about it. I pray God to forgive me and give me patience, that’s all. I love to help but I just feel I do not have my own space and that I don’t deserve it. I feel guilty to move out of my parents house as they will be alone. How do I find a balance? Would love some input about this please, I feel I have become very bitter.
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Dear Marie Claire,
I’m praying for you and prayerfully considering my reply to your concerns. Know that God loves you and knows your struggles.
Love to you! I will reply in more depth soon!
Jodi
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Dear Marie Claire,
It sounds like perhaps you may need some down time, that you may be giving so much of yourself that you are getting close to burnout. Is this how you are feeling? I don’t want to assume, but if you feel that you need your own space you may actually need just that. Jesus went off on His own to spend time in prayer with His Heavenly Father. Each of us needs that alone time with our Heavenly Father, also. In fact, we really need to place our relationship with God first and foremost so that we can recharge our batteries each and every day. If we don’t nourish that hunger, we will find that we are losing steam, and may begin to feel frustrated towards those who we are meant to love.
True Love is a verb. Love can be a feeling, too, but the long lasting, unconditional love that Jesus has for us is more a verb than a feeling. Consider when a couple first marries. Their initial love is full of emotion and sentiment, or a romantic love. But that love doesn’t last for long. Soon they begin to notice qualities in each other that they may wish they never knew. They see that the person they married is not so perfect after all. How blessed we are that God loves us no matter what, flaws and all. So, that is why we are exhorted to Love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). In our own strength, this is impossible. But with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). So that’s why we really need to lean on our Triune God when struggles come so that we don’t lose our Supernatural Strength, our Everlasting Rock. He will never leave us nor forsake us, but we can lose the sense of His presence in our lives. Take a prayerful Jesus break to get yourself immersed in His love so that He can fill you with the energy and stamina you need for your other relationships. Abide in Jesus (John 15:5). Another good Bible Verse about waiting on the LORD and renewing your strength is Isaiah 40:31.
You may also need to set boundaries if you feel that people expect too much from you. Ensure that you get plenty of sleep, and that you are fueling your body with nutritious food, and drinking plenty of water, and get 20-30 minutes of daily exercise for your body. You will find that your energy is becoming sustainable again.
A good book that you might consider reading is The Love Dare, by Stephen & Alex Kendrick. It is meant for marriage relationships, but you can use it for other relationships, as well. It is filled with Biblical Scriptures and wonderful advice on how to strengthen your relationships in a very selfless way. Just as Jesus loves us. It may just give you the boost you need in rekindling the unconditional love you are meant to experience with Jesus as your Savior. My prayers are with you and yours. So good to hear from you again, Marie Claire! Please let me know how things work out!
Love,
Jodi
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First of all thank you for coming back to me and I am truly grateful Jodi ! . I think you hit the nail on the head. I do need some down time but I also want to do the right thing. I always dreamt to have my own place, I have been working hard all my life and always saving up. I am single no kids and no partner. The fact that I still live with my parents really bothers me and it always did. I am now over 40. My parents are getting old and since the pandemic I lost my job and am looking after them. Its ok I needed a break as well so it didn’t bother me that I am not working where I used to. But I long to move out and even rent somewhere so I can have some quiet time. I keep feeling guilty even thinking about it and I know my dad won’t be happy to leave them and go live by myself. I will not abandon them of course, but I need to have my own space. I don’t know what’s right or wrong anymore. I just feel I am being selfish sometimes, but then again, simply because I am not married and do not have my own family…then is it wrong to leave your parents house to live alone? My dad has always been a bit controlling, and I do not wish to make him and mum worried, and I avoid arguments . just need some guidance, how to set my boundaries and find answers. Thanks for mentioning the book, I will definitely look into it. Thanks for your answer, you seem to have understood my situation. I have become very impatient, but I want to do the right thing.
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Dear Marie Claire,
Thank you for your vulnerability and sincerity of heart. I am praying for you! God loves you and wants you to rest in His promises. I want to respond fully to your comment and I am prayerfully asking God for wisdom in how to respond. Know that I understand your feelings. I have felt that way too. Love to you and I will respond with more soon!
Jodi
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Dear Marie Claire,
My apologies for not yet responding to your comment. I have not forgotten you and I will post more soon. Just know that God doesn’t want to condemn you or make you feel guilty for wanting your own space. Jesus loves you and wants to give you rest (Matthew 11:28). I’m still praying for you!
Love to you!
Jodi
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Dear Marie Claire,
I want to apologize. After reading your last comment again, I feel I missed an important element in my response. It’s ok to have your own space. You are not married to your parents. Like I said in one of my earlier comments, God does not want you to feel guilty, He wants to give you rest. Having your own place could be a very good thing for you. I feel a tremendous responsibility to you and all of my readers that I give sound Biblical advice. That’s why I always encourage prayer and seeking God’s will. In my own experience in the past, when I jumped from one situation to a new situation hoping that all would be awesome, I found that my troubles and trials followed me. It was always the grass is always greener. That was the message I was trying to convey, not to say that you shouldn’t move, or just hold on tight and everything will turn out well. I did not intend to dismiss your feelings. Please forgive me, Marie Claire. I still do encourage you to pour out your heart to Jesus, deepening your relationship with Him, for He can definitely give you the rest you are seeking. And when you find rest, you will find contentment…even in a less than ideal situation. That is God’s desire for you! Please let me know how you are doing. I deeply care for you and your wellbeing!
Love to you!
Jodi
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Thank you ! 🙂
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Dear Marie Claire,
I do not know what God’s will for your life is, but I know that He has good plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11). I suggest in the interim, while you are prayerfully seeking guidance from God where you are going to live, create a space that is just for you. It could be a closet, or a corner of your parents’ home, just make it an inviting space with a comfortable chair, a nice lamp, and your Bible. When you get up each morning, spend time in this space with the desire to just spend time with Jesus. Pour our your heart to Him and pray specifically for Him to reveal His plan for you. Ask Him to give you rest and encouragement. Tell Him your struggles, ask for help in feeling contentment where you are. I’m not saying that you should definitely stay where you are, but…when we are feeling discontentment in our situations, getting out of the old situation does not necessarily mean that we won’t feel discontentment in our new situation. I was discontented in my situation for quite a long time. But, I found that when I began taking the time to do things that I enjoyed and placed importance on the goals that God gave to me specifically, my overall situation improved and now I feel much better about my situation and I didn’t have to move someplace else.
But I do understand your desire to have your own special place in this world. So, with that being said, I would suggest that you list all the reasons you desire to have your own place. Then, list all the potential pros of having that personal place and then list all the cons. Perhaps you feel like you are only spending time with your parents. Do you have friends close by that you could spend time with on a regular basis as another way to recharge your batteries? You mention that your father has a tendency to be controlling. Nobody likes to feel like they are being controlled by another. When you feel this burdensome control over you, can you safely retreat to your special space and seek Jesus’ comfort? Also, ask God to soften the heart of your father, and for Him to give you the courage to set some boundaries. Perhaps you need to be honest with your dad and gently tell him how you feel when he tries to control you. You may find that your dad doesn’t realize what effect he is having on you. He also may be feeling fearful of losing you, perhaps he had a controlling parent while he was growing up and was afraid of upsetting that parent. Is there a way that you can reassure your parents that you love them and want to help them in any way that you can, even if you move out? Honesty and gentleness will help tremendously in this situation. I find that when I speak honestly and gently to my loved ones, they respond in kind.
I believe if you prayerfully seek God’s will for your life, set some healthy boundaries with your parents, spend time doing the activities that you enjoy and spending time with your friends, you will have a new and fresh vitality. Be consistent in caring for yourself and spending time with Jesus, and you will have the energy necessary for loving and caring for your parents.
Please let me know if these suggestions are helpful. I’m praying for you, my dear sweet friend!
Love to you!
Jodi
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Dear Marie Claire,
I pray that you are doing well! I imagine that you are very busy. Just checking in to see if you are ok.
Love to you!
Jodi
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Dear Marie Claire,
I did not know that my comments would appear out of order. I’m still a little technologically challenged. I pray that you are doing well!
Love to you!
Jodi
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