Everyone isn’t easy to love. It’s naive to believe that just because we follow Jesus, loving others is easy. The reality is, loving others is difficult. People lie, steal, betray, and more. Loving others is a choice. And in truth, it will cost us something. It will cost us pride, it will cost us comfort, and it will cost us preferences. That’s what makes it so powerful. Not because it’s forced upon us, but because we get to choose to live it out.

It’s often difficult to love, forgive, and care for others the way we’re called to do in scripture. While this can be caused by a variety of circumstances, the most common is that we don’t love, forgive, or care for ourselves. We cannot pour from an empty cup. We cannot give to others what we haven’t even given ourselves. May we learn to see ourselves the way Jesus sees us — as worthy of love. Then, and only then, can we in turn show others that same love.

If we’re going to be where God intends for us to be in 5 years, we have to be consistent. We have to make our minds up. We have to be steadfast and focused. We cannot say “yes” one day and then “no” another. With Jesus, it is always “yes.”

Now is the time to wake up. Now is the time to stop putting things off for “tomorrow.” Life change isn’t for tomorrow, growth isn’t for tomorrow, progress isn’t for tomorrow — it’s for today! As we live with Jesus’ desires above our own, it’ll transform the way we think, act, and live.