Amar.

As we wrap up our time here in Honduras, there are so many blogs I could write.
But the one that best sums up my time here is all about love.

Which command is the most important of all?
“This is the most important,” Jesus answered:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.” -Mark 12:28-31

The specific word that the Lord repeated over and over to me during my time in Honduras has been amar, the infinitive verb form of the word love in Spanish. Amar = to love.
 
What God told me about this word over the past 3 months is that it’s all I need to do.
He never once gave me a list of things that he wanted me to get done by the end of the day.
He was only concerned with how well I loved.
He never told me what to wear, what to eat, or even what song to sing in worship.
He was only concerned with how I well loved.
He wasn't concerned with how I loved, just that I loved.
He didn't care what my love looked like, just that I did it.
Just that I took the every opportunity, every situation, and every person that He placed in front of me, and just loved them.
 
He told me that amar, to love, is my whole purpose.
It’s the sole reason for my existence.
 
I exist, first, for Him to love me. He delights in His children. He doesn’t just want love out of us. He wants to love us too. I exist, just to be lovable to my Father.
 
Secondly, I exist to love Him. Just think about that for a second. I exist with the sole purpose of loving the God of the whole entire universe. You exist for the sole purpose of loving the God of the whole entire universe. That's some crazy business right there.
 
And lastly, I exist to love His people. He has shown me love, so I am called and empowered and required to love others the way He has loved me.

Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us. -John 4:11-12