Mark 12:30

Mark 12:30
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

The love we receive from God is so strong and so pure.  It is a love that we cannot begin to comprehend or even reciprocate.  For those of you who are parents, think of how much you love your children.  Your children cannot even begin to understand how much you love them until they themselves are parents.  Children cannot understand how much we think about them and pray for them.  My children are at the forefront of my mind every day.  Their well being is most important and I willingly put their needs before my own.  I'm ok if I am hungry as long as my children are being fed.  It's ok if I'm thirsty as long as my children have enough to drink.  If my children are ok, I'm ok.  I love my children with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  That is what parents do.

Our heavenly Father is no different.  We, His children, cannot understand the gravity of His love for us.  We cannot understand the sacrifices He has made for us.  I don't think God even needs us to have the understanding of what He does for us, I think He just wants us to love Him with all we are.  It is important to understand that everything we accomplish is because of Him.  To show Him our appreciation, we are to love Him with our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths.  When I express my love to Him, I can feel His love warming me up, and filling my heart with joy.  So how do we show our love for Him?

Well, I can only speak of what I do, so here are some ideas.  Pray.  Pray often, everyday.  Pray long prayers and short prayers.  Pray formal prayers and informal prayers.  Pray the rosary.  Pray to Mary, Jesus, and all the saints and angels.  Pray for things you are struggling with.  Pray for people in and around your life.  Pray to say thank you.  Pray to express your frustration.  Just pray.

Go to church.  There is no better place to feel His love than in His house.  No matter what mood I'm in, when I walk in church, there is a sense of calm that washes over me.  I can feel His power and His presence.  Don't just be in church physically, allow yourself to be there in your heart, in your soul, in your spirit.  Be open to hearing Him.  Listen to His words and allow yourself to relate His words to your current situation.

Read about Him.  I love to learn more about the faith.  It gives me a better foundation when people try to tear my faith down.  I want to know as much as I can because there will be times, as Catholics, when we will have to defend the faith.  Read about the who, what, where, when and why of the faith.  Understand the sacraments and what their significance is.  Read about Mary and other saints who have struggled for their faith.  Use each day as a day to discover your Catholicism.

Include Him in your every day life and conversations, especially with your children.  My husband and I talk about the Trinity, Mary, and saints every day.  We pray with our children and explain why we pray.  We talk about Jesus as if He is a member of our family because HE IS! 

Offer it up, whatever it is for you.  Offer up your thanks for things going well.  Offer up your anger for things going poorly.  Offer up your struggles so He can help you carry your cross.  Whatever you are going through in your life right now, good, bad, indifferent, offer it up.

There are so many other things you can do each day to show God how deep your love is for Him, these are just a few recommendations.  I would love  to hear what other people do to show their love.  Thank You God for the gifts You have given me today.   Help me to love You with every fiber of my being and to teach my children to do the same.

Thanks for reading!

Busy Mommy Blogger