Loving Well

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.....And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:4-8a,13

Sometimes these verses can seem so mundane. This passage was used in a study I am working through and also in my evening reading. Okay, so God is getting my attention. Am I loving well? There are definitely certain people that make it more of a challenge to love them. Am I patient and kind to them? Mother Teresa said, "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." Could this apply to those I encounter each and everyday?

I want to be filled with the Spirit. I want to be loving and kind. I want to be filled with genuine love, not to plaster on a fake smile. Afterall, I have been given so much love and grace why do I have such a hard time giving some to others?

I came up with a few ways to practice loving well:

1)Memorize the above scriptures and also meditate on them.
2) Pray for more of Him and less of me!
3) Pray that God would show me the areas that need improving.
4) Pray for opportunities to love well.

Radicals??

I came across this article a few days ago. It really got me thinking. I have been challenged lately in the way I think about money, possessions, and so-called security. We can be "prepared" for every imaginable scenario (life/auto/home insurance, RRSPs, sound investments, healthy diet and exercise) and still be caught off guard. This power struggle lures us into trusting ourselves and not God. We do everything in our power to make sure nothing bad happens.

It is so easy to live for today, to focus on my seemingly important problems when in reality they are so minute. I started to wonder how many missionaries have retirement savings plans?

Oh, please God, don't let me fall asleep and get side tracked with things that will not matter in the end. Please let me to think of others more than myself. May I honor you with my thoughts and actions.

Awareness

Yesterday I caught myself feeling a little sorry for myself. I have always had a hard time fitting into a group at church. Due to my age I don't fit in with the adults whose kids are the same age as mine and those who are my age either are single or are married without children. So we don't have a lot in common. I don't hold this against them, I just feel lonely sometimes.

I felt God speak to me telling me that if I did fit in I would probably feel comfortable and be distracted . I feel God is leading me to a certain ministry. I don't know all the details, I do know that He has been leading me this way for a while now. I am excited to see where He leads me.

I have also been thinking about the fact that half of the world's population lives on less than two dollars per day. We take so much for granted. I have caught myself looking down on the sandwich I brought to work so that I could go out for lunch. I have also been guilty of tossing out perfectly good food. Where have we gone so wrong in our thinking?It seems as though we go through life wearing blindfolds. I don't want to live this way, distracted from reality and truth.
Philippians 2:4
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I pray that God will open my eyes to what's really going on in the world.

Getting Real- Day 1

Sometimes I feel like a magpie-distracted by the shininess of the world. It is ironic that the world distracts us into thinking that we must work diligently to become an individual, to find our true self, all the while it tells us we should be thinner, dress better, acquire whatever we can get our hands on. "Be 'yourself' while being what I tell you to be. You will be happy!"




I have taken the bait one too many times. Tried to be smarter, prettier, thinner, whatever it would take to be happy and stop the nagging voice inside that told me I am not good enough and never will be.


I have struggled with significance for so long. I have always wanted to gain the acceptance of a certain person in my life and tried so hard to make them love me. Enough. Here is day one of accepting me and refusing to continue living life and seeing through these rose coloured glasses. There is more to life than me and my problems!