“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and, Love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27 These are familiar words from the Bible that I'm sure many of you have read or heard, but applying this simple verse to your life, to your relationships, and to your marriage can be a challenging endeavor. Why did Christ put this command above all others? And why is our love for God a prerequisite for loving others?

For me, the answer relates to my salvation story and the story of other Christians. My love relationship with Christ started when I was 17 years old. It was a beautiful Sunday evening, on September 1, 1985. That day, love took over my life. It’s not that I wasn’t a loving child, but I was a bit shy and reserved and found it hard to express the way I felt. I had a desperate need for a Savior and friend. Like many people, I needed a closer relationship with the God of heaven. A heavenly Father that would whisper in my ear “I love you” every day of my life. It was on that glorious day that I experienced what God’s love meant. I decided to receive Jesus in my heart. I felt so full of His love, presence, and forgiveness that it changed my personality and the way I related to others. I promised God that I would love Him, please Him, and obey Him for the rest of my life.

I think that part of understanding and feeling God’s amazing love for me and wanting to love him back is stated in this Bible verse as well.

"You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little. Then He said to her, ‘Your sins have been forgiven.’” Luke 7:46-48.

I believe that at that moment, I understood the depth of God’s love and forgiveness, the depth of my sin, and how, no matter how much I’d sinned, God still loved me. My sin had separated me from God’s presence. When I received Jesus as my Savior, I felt pure and clean, and closer to my Father in heaven. The weight of sin in my life was lifted at that moment. And all because I knew that Jesus took my place on the cross.

That was 29 years ago, and I can tell you that I’ve never regretted my decision.

Through that experience, God has taught me how to love others. Knowing that my heavenly Father loves me with  unconditional everlasting love has given me a passion for expressing God's love towards others and especially towards my husband.

My life has had many ups and a few downs, but I recognize that in this life there is going to be suffering. What I have discovered is that with God’s loving arms around me, suffering is temporary and that abundant life is possible. God  has always guided and loved me from the moment I decided to let Him into my heart.