Tip # 1 : "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied
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: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^[b] This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

<sup>Matthew 22:36-39


Jesus placed loving God at the top of the list, so I will follow suit and place this commandment as my number one tip. What does loving God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind look like anyway? 1 John 5:3 says "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome." I'm finding out more each day that the 'not burdensome' part is in fact correct!
I'm on a mission to love God and to love others in every situation that I have an opportunity to do so. So far on this journey, I have found that I feel the least burdened when I am loving the most people. I used to find ways to take care of myself, to put me first, and to make sure I was well taken care of, yet somehow I never felt fulfilled. Some days I find myself reverting back to self love and oddly these are the days I feel the most burdened. Surprisingly, the moments I spend loving others aren't always easy, but they are never burdensome. No matter if I'm waking up with my hungry baby boy in the middle of the night, if I'm making a meal for a sick friend, or if I'm putting my wants and desires aside to better serve my husband, I'm finding that investing time in loving other people produces more joy, more peace, and more love for God in my heart, then it does to insist that my every want, whim, and desire is met.

Thanks DAD for loving me, for me teaching me, and for encouraging me, your love is amazing.

I love you, Tammy</sup>