But...did you love me?

I had such a beautiful, inspiring, and love-filled weekend. Valentine’s Day can do that to you, yeah. But now it's time to get down to the reality of things.

How do I share that love with others?

Today, God is telling me that rather than seeking validation/glory/fame/riches for myself, instead to find a way to show simple, intentional love to others. After all, the second greatest commandment after loving Him is to love your neighbor as yourself.

Today, this Lenten season, He’s calling for holiness.

But holiness isn’t reserved for the austere, the overtly religious, perfect Christians who fast every weekend and follow traditions / commandments with ease. No, God does not call the righteous, but sinners. God calls me, a sinner, to be holy, as God is holy (Leviticus 19:1–2). Holiness is looking for those moments of grace, moments we experience daily whether we realize it or not, and recognize God in them.

How do I respond to that call? How do I radiate holiness to others?

And I’m not being crazy-preachy, it makes sense. In the Gospels (Matthew 23:31–46), God calls for action: feeding the hungry, healing the sick, visiting the imprisoned, welcoming the stranger, comforting the afflicted. When we all die (which we all will do) and get to heaven, and we meet God at the gates, He will not ask if we made this much money in life, if we found the cure for cancer, if we bought the biggest house with an infinity pool and an ocean view, or if we got 10K followers on Instagram. (Although, how nice would all of those things be, right? I flinched just writing it.)

Instead, God will ask us: “Did you feed me? Did you visit me? Did you welcome me?”

In other words, “Did you love me?”

By showing love, by radiating holiness, only then will we gain the keys to heaven. It doesn’t have to be big, like selling our house to live in the slums of New York City. Simple, everyday acts such as giving a few dollars to charity and resisting temptation to sin; small acts that show real love in powerful, meaningful ways. For instance, I have a hard time looking people in the eye when I converse with them. But I’ve realized how meaningful, how loving it is to simply look someone in the eye and give them your full attention. It is as if you give them a piece of your heart, as Jesus did when He gave up his life out of love. And isn’t that radiating holiness?

This week, friends, let's take a step towards being holy.