seeking love.

Recently I began a journey with a dear friend through the book of Jeremiah. When she suggested Jeremiah, I wasn't sure why, but my excitement grew. Within the first two chapters alone, the Lord spoke to me.

"Why do you beautify your way to seek love? Therefore you have also taught the wicked women your ways." Jeremiah 2:33

The words practically jumped off the page at me.

Why do you beautify your way to seek love? I wasn't reading the verse anymore. Instead, I was listening to that still voice in my soul. And it hit me. Hard.

I do beautify my way to seek love. Chances are, you do too. It seems to me that there are two ways we beautify our way to seek love. We're either looking for love in all the wrong places and by using the wrong vehicles, or we're seeking the wrong kind of love, which ironically, isn't really love at all.

Sometimes I get so caught up in seeking the approval and affection of others and I completely miss seeking the Lord and His love. Then even as I realize that, I try and justify it or rationalize it, usually in the name of serving or ministering. Even when I have the approval and affection of others around me, I'm still left unsatisfied. We weren't made to find fulfillment in the love of anyone other than the Lord Himself. Really, seeking the love of anyone else above or before God is sin, and is therefore unproductive to our quest. I've talked before about my struggle with doing versus being, and fighting to find my identity and worth in works. Sometimes even if I'm seeking love from the right Source, I still go about it the wrong way. It's easy to get caught up in the checklist mentality and expect that once our list has been cleared, we should find fulfillment and satisfaction in love. In reality, God loves us not based on anything we could ever do to earn His love, but rather because He Himself is gracious and chooses to love us because of who He is.

Take a minute and let that sink in. I need to marinate in that for a minute too. The Lord loves me--and you--because of who He is, NOT because of anything that you could ever do or not do.

So what do you think, what's your story? Where do you seek love and affection? How do you beautify your own way?

God, forgive me for trying to make beautiful that which ultimately separates me from you. Help me remove the masks that I use to make my sin beautiful, and show me how to seek love, affection, and approval from You alone.