True love means putting aside our selfish desires and giving completely to the one we love. At times, this can be difficult, especially if we are faced with giving up something that we have come to enjoy. For instance, Luke, my 4th grader, has informed me that I am no longer able to bring him lunch. He is a third child, and, therefore, sees himself as much older than nine. I'm not ready to give up seeing him at lunch, even if it's just to hand him a Chick-Fil-A bag and tell him to enjoy. I will respect what he has asked of me, however, because I love him in a way that causes butterflies to swarm my belly when I see his cute blond head bouncing off of the bus each afternoon. As followers of Christ, we are commanded to die to ourselves and follow Him. We are to give up things in our lives that do not honor Him. The Bible tells us that EVERYTHING we do must honor Him. As hard as it may be, we must decide what we love more, Jesus or the thing(s) we are holding onto. If we have to make excuses or justifications for things, then our hearts know it is time to let go. The way I explain it to my children is this: If Jesus were to physically walk into a room and see what was on the TV or hear the music, would you be ashamed or would you be excited to share it with Him? The same is true for all of us. Will we die to self and follow everything Christ has asked of us, or will we hang onto those things that bring us carnal pleasure?
