Uninitiated Love
by Lindsey Hanekom
Correction to yesterday`s devotional: Please note that yesterday`s devotional was written by Margaret Silvester, not Lindsey Hanekom(who is today`s writer).
Our daughter, Zoe, gives the best hugs ... when she wants to!
There are times when she’ll give a hug to say thank you or sorry, and there are times when you could ask for a hug and you may be given a gentle squeeze. But, every now and again, she’ll just come up to you and give you a really big hug, squeezing tightly and snuggling her head right into your neck. These hugs really are a joy that makes the world seem brighter and can make the hardest day feel better. They go beyond words and expression. They’re just a pure form of love. Now she’s beginning to talk more, these hugs can be accompanied by the simple words, “I love Mummy,” which melts my heart, and makes Zoe beam from ear to ear!
One day, after receiving one of these hugs, I considered my relationship with God. I was wondering how often I just pour out the love I have for Him in my heart, not for any specific reason, but simply because my heart’s full of love.
The psalmist often had such ‘outbursts’, and we can be inspired by his expressions of love for God. David knew how to pour love out of his heart for God. It originated from a deep knowledge of who God is, and His love for all of us.
Yet we can be locked into a lifestyle that deems such expression only necessary or appropriate in response to something God has done for us. This isn’t the relationship God wants with us. Although those expressions of love are valid and important, we all know that an uninitiated act of love is one that carries the most value. It’s pure and without motive, and it transcends our soulish desires and feelings. It brings health to our whole being, and makes the world seem better, and the darkness lighter.
For this to be authentic we need to open our hearts to God in everyday life. We need to be able to connect with Him, as we go about our work and daily living. Then, just as it is with Zoe, every now and again our hearts will need to express the deep and everlasting love that we have and say “I love You, God!” What joy will fill His heart!
Prayer: Father God, You know I love You, yet I know that I’m not always good at expressing this. Please connect with me today. Help me open my heart to allow me to express the fullness of my love ... a love that can’t be put into words, yet words is all I have. I love You, God! Amen.
Lindsey Hanekom Lindsey has worked at all of our UK centres over the years and has settled at Ellel Scotland with her husband, Johann and their two young children, Kyle and Zoe. As part of the Leadership Team at Ellel Scotland, Lindsey has a heart for the deeply broken as she oversees the prayer ministry and is an established and passionate teacher with Ellel. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys the natural world, particularly the ocean, and is trained as a specialist medic to assist stranded and injured marine mammals.
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