Today is a special day.
Yesterday I was searching Pinterest for some decorating ideas. My two younger sons were tasked by my dad with painting an old bookshelf. I ended up joining in to help spread the paint, and then took it further and worked on another bookshelf someone donated to me weeks ago. They were painted pink.
I searched Pinterest to see if there were any creative bookshelf ideas, or ways I could spruce up this bookshelf, and came across this post by a gal named Toby Fairley. The post really moved me greatly. She chose a word to focus on for the year, which was a personality trait or characteristic she wanted to not lose sight of. The word for her was DISCIPLINE. This is one of my weakest areas. Our family struggles with obesity, addiction, and in many ways, laziness. So I'm always looking for ways to break free of these habits and traditions.
Toby's focus on a word for a year really struck me, so realizing that for me, today is an important day, I set my mind that I too would pick a word for the year to focus on. It's not discipline (HA! -although she did inspire me) but has to do with lifelong intention, and that is LOVE.
Some of my deepest running weaknesses, when I stop to self-examine, are pride, envy, jealousy, hate, and anger. Yesterday's post was a perfect example of pride on display. Gossiping, criticizing, or open jealousy in the form of "venting" are easy for me. This morning as I pondered what I wanted to make of this year, I asked God what I could do to change for the better. What would help me better hear God speaking to me? It is so easy to be confused in thinking that my way of hearing God's voice has to look or sound like someone else's, and I tend to believe their words, opinions, or warnings over what I feel God has told me. I compare myself to them, and think that I am inferior, and covet their clarity or gifts.
I don't hear Jesus talking, or really know His voice like many say they do.
I don't have dreams which contain clear messages.
I don't have 100% moral clarity or confidence in understanding messages in the scriptures, nor to I believe that I am any authority worth really listening to.
With such lack of understanding of how God speaks to me, and such confusion, I asked God what I could focus on this year, to achieve more clarity, and truly understand His voice and how He speaks with me, individually. The answer that came to mind that no part of me can shoot down with deductive reasoning is that LOVE is the one thing that I can't go wrong with. And if I did go wrong with it, it would be more of someone else's weakness or insecurities getting in the way, not mine.
LOVE to YOU and yours,
~Jen <3
Yesterday I was searching Pinterest for some decorating ideas. My two younger sons were tasked by my dad with painting an old bookshelf. I ended up joining in to help spread the paint, and then took it further and worked on another bookshelf someone donated to me weeks ago. They were painted pink.
I searched Pinterest to see if there were any creative bookshelf ideas, or ways I could spruce up this bookshelf, and came across this post by a gal named Toby Fairley. The post really moved me greatly. She chose a word to focus on for the year, which was a personality trait or characteristic she wanted to not lose sight of. The word for her was DISCIPLINE. This is one of my weakest areas. Our family struggles with obesity, addiction, and in many ways, laziness. So I'm always looking for ways to break free of these habits and traditions.
Toby's focus on a word for a year really struck me, so realizing that for me, today is an important day, I set my mind that I too would pick a word for the year to focus on. It's not discipline (HA! -although she did inspire me) but has to do with lifelong intention, and that is LOVE.
Some of my deepest running weaknesses, when I stop to self-examine, are pride, envy, jealousy, hate, and anger. Yesterday's post was a perfect example of pride on display. Gossiping, criticizing, or open jealousy in the form of "venting" are easy for me. This morning as I pondered what I wanted to make of this year, I asked God what I could do to change for the better. What would help me better hear God speaking to me? It is so easy to be confused in thinking that my way of hearing God's voice has to look or sound like someone else's, and I tend to believe their words, opinions, or warnings over what I feel God has told me. I compare myself to them, and think that I am inferior, and covet their clarity or gifts.
I don't hear Jesus talking, or really know His voice like many say they do.
I don't have dreams which contain clear messages.
I don't have 100% moral clarity or confidence in understanding messages in the scriptures, nor to I believe that I am any authority worth really listening to.
With such lack of understanding of how God speaks to me, and such confusion, I asked God what I could focus on this year, to achieve more clarity, and truly understand His voice and how He speaks with me, individually. The answer that came to mind that no part of me can shoot down with deductive reasoning is that LOVE is the one thing that I can't go wrong with. And if I did go wrong with it, it would be more of someone else's weakness or insecurities getting in the way, not mine.
So beginning this day, demonstrating LOVE in whatever way that comes to me will be the motive. Whether I get to tell you outright that I LOVE you in every conversation, or perhaps I will say that I love something you do, you wear, you said, or anything else, I intend to find ways to share LOVE fully. Even if I have to fake it till I make it, I will work on it. Mark my words. Starting this day.Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. -Moroni 7:46-47
LOVE to YOU and yours,
~Jen <3
Regarding love and charity, I had an experience last month that helped me understand this scripture:
ReplyDelete"Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away." (1 Corinthians 13:8)
After feeling, at least in part, the kind of love God has for every single one of us rebellious children, I believe Paul was speaking in hyperbole. True prophecies always come to pass, knowledge never ceases, the gifts shall never be done away, but when they are stacked against the love that God has for you nothing can compare and all fade away being far from the mind of the one that is loved. All these things fail in that they fail to compare and vanish from the heart. All of our reasoning and struggle to understand God vanishes in an unutterable rapture.
Oh so true! Right on! Rapture is a great way to describe it.
DeleteI found it amazing, after practicing this yesterday (expressing love to others) that at the end of the day, it seriously felt like the best day of my life.
By the way, Micah, I LOVE you. I am so grateful to have met you and Leslie. You are a true gift in my life. I appreciate your thoughtful and consistent comments, as they help make the relationships developed through blogging become more valuable than they could be otherwise. Hope your day is blessed!