You have heard the term before I am sure and you have probably had no problem understanding the term or believing it, or have you? I have been in the ministry for ten years now and I must admit that I am not sure that I have a grasp on the act of unconditional love. I thought I did, but now I am not so sure. This thought was initiated from my recovery from surgery. I have had two conflicting emotions during my recovery process that have perplexed me. The first one came rather quickly when I came home from the hospital to rest and recover. The feeling was amazing. I have not relaxed that much or had that mental state of relaxation for years and years. This is sad but true at the same time. Now, after a few weeks, I have started to feel a slight bit of depression because I have not been able to do anything or produce any results for quit some time now. This my friends is a problem. I have either trained myself and/or society & ministry has taught me to produce, accomplish, & do something in order to receive love, acceptance, or affirmation. These emotions tell me that I do not yet fully understand or believe in the unconditional love that Christ offers me. It's unfortunate but ministry in and of itself can direct you and condition you to think and act contrary to the Word of God. This has been a revelation to me and I am on a journey to retrain my mind, my actions, and how I act or respond to others in this area. The Bible is very clear. There is nothing that we can muster up or do that can make us worthy to receive God's unconditional love. It is just who He is. He made us with perfection and precision. His love is offered to you in every spectrum whether you are close or far away. It does not come once you think of something really cool to implement at work and then get the attention of others as a result of it. It does not come after you have written your first book. It does not come after the purchase of your new home or the birth of your first child. Nothing, nothing, nothing you can do makes you eligible. It is done. It just is. We have to really train our minds to comprehend this because we have been conditioned to think otherwise for so long. Think about how this effects you as an individual. Do you really believe in unconditional love? Does the way in which you live your life and spend your mental energy reflect unconditional love? Think about how this effects you as a leader or a manager of an organization. Do your actions and expectations reflect unconditional love? Are the people under your supervision able to express themselves in a way that honors God and follows His leading? Think about it. This could be the thing that transforms every area of your life and most importantly your perspective of God Himself. Please don't misinterpret what I am saying. This is no excuse to sit around and become a flake in the wind. This is only a desire to inspire you to find out where God is moving in your life and act on it instead of chasing the tumbleweed in the wind to try and produce results that in the end just brings countless feelings of exhaustion and emptiness. So you have heard the term before, but do you really believe it? Your heart will let you know for sure. I want to, but I don't think I am there yet.