It’s almost Valentine’s Day. And if you’re like me, you have some expectations. Let’s be real. You can pretend that you don’t and that you think this holiday is silly. Or you can admit that you’d be pretty pumped to learn someone is planning a special surprise for you. Am I right?
So here’s the deal. Whether it’s a holiday or every day life, we truly are better together. We are designed for connection and love and admiration and all the things. If you’re a lady, you likely want to know you’re lovely. If you’re a man, you likely want to know you have what it takes. And it’s a wonderful gift when those special people around us affirm these desires. Being in valuable, life-giving relationships is a true gift and so valuable to our well-being. The Lord designed us to be better together. However . . .
WE ARE ONLY AS BETTER TOGETHER AS WE ARE INDIVIDUALLY WHOLE IN CHRIST, BURNING BRIGHT.
There’s intention in the order of Holy Barre’s key phrase – burning bright, better together. It’s taken after the greatest commandments . . .
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
Our primary call is loving the Lord our God with ALL that we are. He alone ignites a fire in our souls that can’t be put out and burns bright for us to experience and all to see! When Jesus states the greatest commandments in Matthew (verse above), He is referencing what’s written in Deuteronomy (verse below). I love the line after about committing wholeheartedly.
“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.
Deuteronomy 6:4-6
Alisa Keeton in The Wellness Revelation beautifully talks about wholehearted living from a biblical perspective. Brene Brown is one of my favorite authors as well, and I believe she was one of the first to dive into the topic. Regardless, wholehearted living results from being fully known, fully present, and fully engaged with the Spirit throughout each and every day. It’s not a balancing act of the all the roles or striving to reach a certain point of value. It’s living in the now with your whole heart and being. It’s letting the Lord fill you and make you whole and complete. While relationships, affirmations, and acquisitions are valuable and fun, they do not satisfy, fulfill, or make you whole. Only knowing who you are in Christ and whose you are gives the freedom to live wholeheartedly.
Wholehearted living means doing everything with great passion and purpose, even when you are asked to do something you are not good at. Still you show up, bringing your unique voice and your kind heart inside your one-of-a-kind beautiful body, believing you have something to offer that will create hope, love and life in yourself and others.
By showing up and being completely themselves, wholehearted people foster peace, joy, and growth in those around them because these qualities flow from within them.
Alisa Keeton, The Wellness Revelation
Then . . . and only then . . . can our ‘better together’ phrase be lived out in His glory! Then and only then is the second greatest commandment obeyed in a healthy and abundant way. When we’re whole in Christ, we can give abundantly rather than looking to others to fill us.
Alisa Keeton in The Wellness Revelation also brings up the two biggest barriers to whole hearted living – pride and unbelief. So whether you think you’re doing awesome on your own (and that your sins aren’t as bad as others) or you doubt your worth and His powerful presence (and that your sins are worse than others), we need to settle into the place of knowing who we are in Christ and whose we are, regardless of what we’ve done, good or bad.
Oh, it’s so easy to look to others for affirmation. To either receive compliments or compare our struggles with those around and think we’re good. But friends, none of this gives life. And this is why Jesus came. To give life, to quench hunger and thirst, to satisfy, to fill us, to show love, to give mercy and grace, and to emphasize our need for truth and faith in He alone by taking sacrificial and powerful action to provide it ALL.
Friends, I love community. I have been truly blessed by community. I value deep, authentic relationships. I want the raw stuff, the real stuff, the struggles and sins and songs of praise. Because the response to all life throws our way is Jesus. Only Jesus. And we need people in our lives to direct us back to Him and burn bright.
And as we say at Holy Barre, while we promise your muscles will burn, we pray even more that the Lord ignites a fire in your soul that can’t be put out. Burning bright, for the world to see, empowering and engaging all those around to let Him light their own unique, amazing fire. Whew, what a beautiful display of Light when we all are burning bright, better together!
Let Him fill you. Let Him make you whole. Love Him with ALL that you are. Valentine’s Day will be so much more special when you are full and have love to give than when you are looking to receive from others. Let’s love and live wholeheartedly this heart holiday!
Holy Barre 