Love Is Reciprocal

"How will people love me if I have not yet defined me outside the parts that hold me together?"

Introduction

The greatest need for any human being is the knowledge and feeling of being loved. Most people spend over 80% of their day trying to find ways and means of convincing people to love them.

Their main objective for the day is to feel loved, regardless of the cost of such an objective. Am I of them, yes! I do have a need to feel appreciated and loved. But the difference between me and “them” is that I do the opposite of what they assume is the way to feeling love. I focus on myself.

I know that this has the potential of sounding selfish or egotistical, but I know that I can defend myself in front any judge when it comes to why I focus on myself.

My grandfather once said to me “Bonnke, love is reciprocal”. In my early years, I assumed that my grandfather referred to give-an-take/mutual/shared type of love. I assumed that he meant that by loving others I will also receive the same (if not higher) share of love.

How wrong was I?

I am sure that we all have stories of people that we gave all our pure heart to, but only to have our heart pressed down in muddy water.

Finally (many years later), I experienced what my grandfather meant when he said “Love is reciprocal”

Who am I?

I am comprised of bones, organs, and rivers of fluids that are encapsulated by a huge sheet of skin molded to hold me together. There is definitely a distinctive quality of beingness that is “me” and lay all of me still-functioning physical components on a blanket, there would be no me (from a book titled Change your thoughts change your life).

So real, who am I? How will people love me if I have not yet defined me outside the parts that hold me together?

I quickly realized that all my actions when combined define who Bonnke is. When digging deeper I soon realized that my actions are the results of my thoughts, and my thoughts are motivated or directed by my attitude. It became obvious that my attitude is the true reflection of who Bonnke is.

Regardless of people’s perception of who I am or what I am supposed to be, I should focus on understanding and building up my attitude – my state of mind.

What factors play a role is setting up my attitude – my state of my mind?

For those who live by sight, their answer will focus on what they see or have experienced. They will tell you that their background had a role in setting up their attitude. Some will tell you that apartheid had a role in setting up their attitude.

But again, I differ with such thinking because I do not live by sight, but I live by vision. I can confidently say that my state of my mind (attitude) was programmed the day I was handed a unique yet valuable personal purpose.

The day God realized that in the 21st century, there will be a great need to grow spiritual leaders. There will be a need for people to realize that in them is unlimited and untapped potential. There will be a deep desire in each person to fully know, understand and believe the reason why they are on earth.

On that day, God said “Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let him launch a business called Power of 1. Through this business, I will guide my people back to their promised land. This is a land which I personally prepared for them, a land that is flowing with milk and honey.”

Right there God began forming my mind. He looked in the future to see what experiences I would need in order to be an instrument to his goal. His knowledge of the beginning from the end, allowed him to set a state of mind that is capable of handling anything that this world might throw at me, in an attempt to distract me from achieving God’s goal.

Conclusion on Love is Reciprocal

It became clear to me that as I continued in this journey of motivating and inspiring future leaders, the more love I received from people. It seemed like there was a spiritual connection between me loving God (doing what he asked me to do) and people loving me. After learning this life-term lesson, I decided to focus on myself. I stubbornly became focused on working hard in what I have now defined as my “calling”.

Do you lack love in your life?

Do you feel like people undermine who and what you stand for?

My advice today is to forget people. Forget about impressing and working hard for love. Today, decided to focus on yourself, meaning that you should take time to understand why you are on earth. The answer to such question, will lead you to a classroom that special prepared for you.

A class where you will be re-tasked on your special mission (purpose) on earth. In your purpose there you will find your state of mind. Give all that you have to your purpose, and you will see the Lord take your ordinary actions and transform them into the reciprocal love.

Amen

Bonnke Shipalana can be contacted on: powerof1@bonnke.co.za

About Bonnke