I leave my phone charging on the bathroom counter at night.

I don’t want to hear it, unless one of our kids or parents need us, so I want it close, but not too close.

Last week, when I unplugged the phone from the charger in the morning, I was surprised to see that the phone was all but dead!

Then the realization: the charger wasn’t plugged into the wall. No power Cap’n.

Stunning how true to life that scenario is. In the case of my phone, it was in the right location. It was close to a power source and the cords and equipment were just right. But no matter how close the charger was and no matter how powerful the electricity in the outlet is, without an actual connection, I still had a dead phone.

For Christians, we’re the same. As Paul wrote:

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

We can know about God and believe in His love; know how to pray; know where to find His words and all the inspiring things that have been written and recorded about His miracles and power. But if we don’t engage and connect in a relationship with Him, what good does it do to know where to find Him?

We also can know that He forgives sin and offers respite from worry and cares, but what good is knowing, if we don’t repent and give our cares to Him?

Our #1 job as mothers is to gather love into our lives. To feel unconditionally loved and supported so that we can love and support our families.

So let’s review. In order to have unconditional love to give we must:

1 Have faith! God is in His heaven and hears our prayers and loves and cares for us without fail.

2 Repent. Learn to tell the truth about our unloving behaviors, every day and every time we go into autopilot and do those manipulative things we’ve learned all our lives!

3 Spend time with God, praying, meditating, singing, praising and reading His words, with the intention of feeling His love.

4 Spend time being our true selves with good and wise friends. We need their honesty and grace.

5 We also fill our love tanks as we show unconditional love to our families! It’s an automatic refill when we respond with kindness and respect, no matter what others are doing or saying. And yes, this is 100% easier when our tanks are full in the first place! So…

If being kind, gentle, respectful and firm is seeming difficult;

If patience is hard to find and irritation and anger are springing up like weeds in the spring;

If fear is ruling your head and seems to be bossing you around;

If you feel failed and without hope for success in your family life;

It is time to kneel down and have a long heart-to-heart with the Father of your soul, and then commit to spending the time needed to keep growing your relationship with Him.

“Because we are His children, God will love us. But we still have a choice: whether or not to feel and reciprocate that love. Literature is full of stories of unrequited love—love that is deep and sincere but not reciprocated. My heartfelt admonition to you is this: Don’t be part of what would surely be the most tragic of all stories of unrequited love by refusing to feel the transformative, soul-changing love that God and Christ offer you if you will just choose to accept it. Nothing! Nothing! Nothing but your own will can separate you from the love of God. No sin, no harm inflicted by ­others, no failure, no mistake can alter God’s love for you. Please, let Him love you.”

(Kevin J. Worthen, Choices for Eternity, Prophetic Counsel, BYU Speeches)

His love is all around, but it won’t charge our spirits without our choice and concerted effort.

I wish you a reservoir of love, over-flowing your previous capacity!

It’s there! Plug in and build and create a relationship that will change and light your life forever.

In His love,