Motivation can be incredibly hard some days. What helps you get through the day and wake up excited? Sometimes that motivation seems to leave us and cause us to hit our snooze button more than we’d like. Maybe you’re in a season like me where you have passion, but just aren’t sure where to go next. Without solid motivation, we find distractions way more appetizing. Getting up for school is way harder to be motivated for, but when it comes to the last day of school and summer vacation in our grasp, we practically leap out of bed. So, how can we get that summer vacation motivation in all areas of our lives? What is your motivator that drives you forward?
The simple answer to attaining this excitement that drives you: Love.
I’ve been writing the past couple of weeks all about different aspects of love, and what that truly means in life. Learning to love God and love the creation you yourself are, are incredibly important to your journey. I think love is vital to all we do, and love needs to be your motivator. Why? Because it’s the most important way you can live your life.
That’s not just my opinion, it’s a truth that comes from Paul. 1 Corinthians 13 is a chapter I have referenced over the last few weeks, and that’s because it places an emphasis on living a life of love. Love isn’t just a Valentine’s day card, it’s the lifestyle that Jesus lived and example he left for each of us to follow after.
Paul is writing to the early church and addressing their actions to one another. He writes about being without love means you have nothing at all, he talks about how to live with love, and he addresses about how everything else will fade away, but love remains forever. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love.”
Love is so important, it needs to be the driver of all you do. You can have the most well-known ministry, the biggest influence or platform, the most successful business, but in the end, without love you have nothing at all. I’ve learned that in life, there is always someone better than you or someone who has more experience, but the key that has helped me live a genuine life is the ability to love others well. This is not saying I’m perfect, because I have made my share of mistakes, what I am saying is that when I focus on how I can love someone over what I can get from them, I live a more fruitful life.
Let your life be marked by the radical way you love others.
You don’t have to have all the answers and you don’t have to be the smartest in the room, all you need is a humble heart and the desire to love well. The way Jesus lived is the way I want to live. He knew scripture and he knew what it looked like to stay connected to God, but the biggest impact of his life was how he loved others unconditionally. Have faith in your creator and have hope in his mighty ways, but make sure you love. Jesus loved others by being there, encouraging them, and offering a seat at the table. Then he did the ultimate act of love by giving his life to save the lives of everyone. That love is powerful, it is the greatest way to live your life. Love is the motivator you need to live out in your life.
When love is the motivator, everything changes. Your vision goes from being centered around you to how you can live like Jesus. I made it a personal choice that with all I do, if I can help at least one person know that they are loved and have a purpose, it’s worth it. Every day I have to choose to be motivated by love. Do I fail? Sure, but the point is to shift my mind into thinking on how I can love others the way Jesus loved, and that is the most important thing I can ever do. So, what is your motivator? What’s driving you forward in life? Choose to be motivated by love. Choose to live a life that lifts others up and helps them know who God has called them to be. Let others know that they have a seat at the table. Choose love as the motivation for your life.
-Joshua Thomas
About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a writer by day and superhero by night. When he’s not writing and crimefighting, you can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. The young writer doesn’t fully know what he’s doing, but is enjoying the journey of it all. You can follow his hipster photos and Jack Kerouac musings on Instagram @joshua_thomas__
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