Thoughts for a Tuesday Morning

I sat at a table, tutoring some unknown man in science. As we sat and reviewed his science notes, he kept pointing his finger at a line that was written in my notebook: "Love is at the center of who I am." Over and over, he repeated this phrase. 

When I rolled out of bed, bleary-eyed, the words of this dream echoed in my mind. 

Dreams are funny things. Why in the world was I tutoring someone else in science? It's never been my strong subject. Who was this random person I was tutoring? And why would this phrase be written in my science notebook? I really don't know the answers to these questions. In fact, the only reason why I recall this dream is because I made mention of it in my writing notebook. 

Love is at the center of who I am. 

If God is love (1 Jn 4:16), then if God is at the center of my life, it would follow that Love truly is at the center of my life, right? 

But, do I really live in this manner? Do I actually center my life around God-or, instead, do I center life around my own personal interests, agendas, and desires? 

It seems that all anyone ever talks about anymore is love. Whether you're listening to top hits on the radio or talking to random people in public, the word "love" comes up quite a lot. Yet, it seems that quite often, when the word "love" is tossed around, it is used as a blanket term, covering a wide range of things. Perhaps "love" is being used in a song that's actually about lusting after others and using them. Or "love" is being used to solely describe emotional desires being fulfilled. Or "love" is being used synonymously with "tolerate." Before we know it, we've completely warped our perceptions of right and wrong. We may say that "Love is at the center of who I am"-but that love which we place at the center of our lives has more to do with what we want than what God wants. 

This dream that I had, the words that pulsed through my mind on a somewhat ordinary July night, challenges me.

Will I put God at the center of my life today?

Will I set myself aside and give Him reign over my heart? 

Will I seek to be a sacrifice of love, so that all may be loved?