Jesus deserves all our love..

I'm reading the Imitation of Christ right now, and it's such a great book, but soo challenging, lol..
one of my favourite chapters:

FEW LOVE THE CROSS OF JESUS

JESUS has always many who love His heavenly kingdom, but few who bear His cross. He has many who desire consolation, but few who care for trial. He finds many to share His table, but few to take part in His fasting. All desire to be happy with Him; few wish to suffer anything for Him. Many follow Him to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the chalice of His passion. Many revere His miracles; few approach the shame of the Cross. Many love Him as long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and bless Him as long as they receive some comfort from Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them for a while, they fall either into complaints or into deep dejection. Those, on the contrary, who love Him for His own sake and not for any comfort of their own, bless Him in all trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss of consolation. Even if He should never give them consolation, yet they would continue to praise Him and wish always to give Him thanks. What power there is in pure love for Jesus -- love that is flee from all self-interest and self-love!

Do not those who always seek consolation deserve to be called mercenaries? Do not those who always think of their own profit and gain prove that they love themselves rather than Christ? Where can a man be found who desires to serve God for nothing? Rarely indeed is a man so spiritual as to strip himself of all things. And who shall find a man so truly poor in spirit as to be free from every creature? His value is like that of things brought from the most distant lands.

If a man give all his wealth, it is nothing; if he do great penance, it is little; if he gain all knowledge, he is still far afield; if he have great virtue and much ardent devotion, he still lacks a great deal, and especially, the one thing that is most necessary to him. What is this one thing? That leaving all, he forsake himself, completely renounce himself, and give up all private affections. Then, when he has done all that he knows ought to be done, let him consider it as nothing, let him make little of what may be considered great; let him in all honesty call himself an unprofitable servant. For truth itself has said: "When you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: 'we are unprofitable servants.'"[17] Then he will be truly poor and stripped in spirit, and with the prophet may say: "I am alone and poor."[18] No one, however, is more wealthy than such a man; no one is more powerful, no one freer than he who knows how to leave all things and think of himself as the least of all."

I fall soo short of this :( it breaks my heart sometimes how I love the Lord so little. How often I just wanted consolation, and sought to avoid suffering, instead of picking up my cross out of love for Him.. when I read about the Saints, they loved God so much because they were willing to go through anything for Him, and wished only to please Him. I wish my love was so selfless. Still sometimes God gives me the grace to desire such love and obedience and submission to Christ. He deserves so much!!

Lord please give me the grace of a pure love for You..

Lord let me adore You in Your Passion.. let me seek to console Your Heart so full of love and mercy as You died for me, consumed with pain and loneliness. Lord Jesus I love You from the depths of my nothingness and misery and sin..I seek only to love You and to comfort You in Your sufferings, and to share in Your Cross.. draw me close to Your Sacred Heart so that I may forsake myself, and the world, and make You my only Treasure.. let all my prayers of love for You be like kisses upon Your wounds; I adore Your wounds and Your Precious Blood that is my life. I know that You thirst for souls, and I want to help bring sinners to You so that they would also know Your mercy..let Your mercy be glorified through me.. Amen.

"Do grant, oh my God, that when my lips approach Yours to kiss You, I may taste the gall that was given to You; when my shoulders lean against Yours, make me feel Your scourging; when my flesh is united with Yours, in the Holy Eucharist, make me feel Your passion; when my head comes near Yours, make me feel Your thorns; when my heart is close to Yours, make me feel Your spear."
- St. Gemma Galgani