loving deeply

“…love one another deeply from the heart.” 1 Peter 1:22

It is a goal of mine to remember this verse even as I pray. So often my prayers focus on myself, my struggles, my hopes and my fears. But I long to make the focus of my prayers others centered. I find that when I do take the time to pray wholeheartedly for people that I know are hurting, my perspective changes - God speaks to my heart and helps me see how to love.
There are times when I am quiet that God places people on my heart and reveals ways that I can love them. Sometimes it is a conflict that I need to resolve. Sometimes it is an action that I can take, a need that I can meet. Sometimes I am led to simply make a phone call or send an email.
As I seek to be more others centered in my prayer life, I am frequently convicted by the ways I fail. I am shown how much more like Christ I need to become, and I pray that he will give me strength and show me the way to go.

Lord, thank you for showing us how to live and how to love. Help me to seek more opportunities to love others. Lead me where you want me to go, show me who you want me to love. Help me to become the loving person you want me to be. You are such a loving God and I am so in awe of you.