The Love Challenge

I have been reading Love Revolution by Joyce Meyer and decided to accept her challenge this week of starting my own Love Revolution. Since I am a woman and you know we love to have company for just about anything we do, I decided to ask my friend Nichole to join me.

So to begin the challenge I needed to re-read what Love is according to Jesus and find a way to get myself off my mind. Hmm, now I am singing "You were always on my mind", not off to a good start!

I Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud. It is not rude. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people's wrongs. Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up.

It does not want what belongs to others...That really hits home with me. I often have myself on my mind. The moment my eyes open in the morning I start thinking of my day. How I want it to go, what I need to accomplish, what I want to happen, what I would like to buy, how I wish I had what she had, how great her life must be, if only I had that opportunity...Okay, you get the picture.

I found my Love walk needed to begin in my current relationships. As I have been reading and studying on love I would be reminded of times in my closest relationships where I did not respond in love and I was certainly not willing to do more than was necessary. I think I often take those closest to me for granted and think they already like and love me so I don't need to do anything more. Didn’t they enter this relationship knowing how selfish I could be? Yet those were the people that I needed to begin with. How can I profess to love someone else when I can’t even show love to those closest to me. So my love revolution begins at home. This week I made some homemade soup for my boyfriend, did an errand for him, treated a friend to a concert, and sent a card to an old friend.

I know it may not seem like much but for me and my closed off heart these were monumental. And as I found my flesh screaming and slowly dying it felt good. I don’t want to keep my heart closed off anymore. I want to open it up and give it away. The more love I give away; the more love I will receive in return. I am renewed and determined. And as Joyce says "Nothing good happens accidentally”.

Humility

I don't know about you but I struggle with pride, there I said it. I get so focused on myself sometimes thinking what about me and what about what I want? I have had some opportunities over the past two weeks to really reflect and take a closer look at myself.

To be truly humble means "a lack of false pride", wow. Think about that for a minute. Humbling ourselves and thinking more of others than ourselves. Seems pretty simple right? Yet, everyday we put ourselves above others, we think we know the answer, we have a certain way we want things and when it does not turn out how we thought or how we planned then how do we respond.

I had an opportunity to humble myself before my staff a few weeks ago. Being the new kid on the block in my office I came in with a job to do and that required changes. I had to put measures in place that required the staff to buckle down; productivity, attendance and quality. I was so gung ho to make the changes and ensure that I did a good job that I did not stop to consider my delivery or approach. I wanted to be sure that we were the best, we were successful and we hit our goals. All great qualities for a leader and all what I was being paid to do, but I did not have the right attitude or approach.

After hearing several concerns and complaints being brought up I was at a crossroads....I took several days to cry and pray about the things I had heard. After some great Godly counsel I decided the best way to handle the situation was to meet with my staff and address the "white elephant" that was now a constant companion in our work environment.

I have to tell you I prayed all weekend that God would give me the words to speak, that my heart would be pure, my motives would be right, that I would listen with an open heart and not be defensive or feel like I needed to defend myself. That Monday morning I don't think I had ever been as nervous as I was to lead a meeting. As always, God never fails. He gave me the words to speak, he opened my ears to hear, and he gave me favor with my enemies.

That step of humbling myself and being vulnerable was the best thing for me. It not only has helped me with my staff but it has opened a place in my heart that has been closed; my eyes have been opened. I know we as leaders think we must always be strong, never show any weaknesses, never let them see you sweat mentality of the world is right, but I know from experience it is wrong.

So today, I have a post it note stuck on my computer that says HUMILITY. May this always be a reminder to me that we must never think we are above others and that we can never learn or admit we are wrong.

Thankful

I have been blessed...this week I was able to see the FOG (favor of God) in multiple areas. It is hard to describe to others but it is a knowing in your heart and spirit that God read the desires of your heart, a need you had whether spoken or not, or just a random act of kindness.

So many people chalk these up to coincidence, karma or fate but I believe these are little moments where God is trying to show us just how much He cares and loves us.

I am thankful that I am learning to recognize them!

Giving

Giving....this is the word I have heard over and over this week. Giving of your time, your resources, your money and of yourself. This is an area I have always felt was a strength. I give my tithe, I give to missions, I try to give to others and yet when I read this in a devotion, heard it in a sermon and listened to it in a meeting this week I felt a little conviction in my heart.

Was I doing all that I could? Did I find myself holding on to something so I could be a blessing for myself? I mean had I not recently gone through some hard times and just reached the clearing financially myself? So with that in mind I have been trying to "budget" and ensure I did not over give or bless someone without planning for it. I mean that makes sense doesn't it? So why would I feel God placing conviction in my heart, I was being responsible!!

Giving extended outside of finances. Was I doing and being there for my friends and family if they had a need. Was I willing to be inconvenienced for someone else? When I heard that small voice urging me to call someone I had not seen or talked to in a while, to send a card or offer an encouraging word was I willing to take the time?

So my prayer is "God would open my eyes to see opportunities before me and open my ears so I can hear him speaking to my heart, and the courage to act".

Sweet Fellowship

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you." Colossians 1:9

Recently I began to earnestly seek God to bring some Godly women of faith into my life. I truly missed having someone I could talk to about the trials and struggles of life who was a believer and could identify with my hearts desire to serve God but could understand my struggles living day to day. I don't know why we are surprised when God hears our prayers and begins to move in our lives....but when He does boy is it awesome.

I recently joined a new community group within my church and have been blessed in just the two short meetings we have had. Our leader Julie has truly been a inspiration and positive encourager in her faith and just as a person. She has a pure heart and while it might be easy to look out the outward appearance of her home, her faith, her career and her family that she has it all, she to has struggles and her stories of trials and elation have blessed me.

And on a more personal level God has brought a true friend into my life at just the right time. Although I have know her for a few years our paths would cross on occasion I did not really know her to the depth that I am seeing today. She is a mighty woman of faith and someone whom I feel comfortable sharing my trials and struggles without the fear of judgment and I know she understands and is praying for me.

The fellowship of other believers and women is so important in our daily walk. I feel so blessed to know that I am building that circle of friends again. I want to be that fortress for them in their time of need and am thankful that God has opened these doors for me.

How do you learn to love?

Have you ever been around someone who has so many insecurities, fears and has been rejected, judged and mistreated for so long they don't know how to accept love? If a person does not love themselves can they love and accept love? How do you teach an adult to give and accept this precious gift? Where can one find the answer?

A person who does not know how to accept love does not necessarily mean they don't want to be loved. In fact, I say they want to be loved more than they can express, they crave love, they look at others and want to have and be free to give and receive this love but it as if they are looking through a set of bars and don't know how to get to the other side. As if they have been locked inside a room for years wanting to get out...but over time they have found safety inside those walls. They know what to expect although they longingly look out the window and want what they see yet do not know how to get it.

A person who does not know how to accept love has unstable relationships, is always looking for someone to validate them, to praise them, to accept them, and tell them they are worthy. Worthy of love, yet if someone attempts to offer this precious gift to them they reject the very thing they crave. Why? How can they learn to be free of the fear of rejection and accept the love that is right before them?

Sunday's are lonely

I don't know what it is about Sunday afternoons that make me very sad and feelings of utter emptiness seem to grip me. Maybe it is after all the excitement of going and doing all weekend that when I wind down and begin to prepare for the week ahead that I realize the emptiness inside?

This weekend was very full of activities, friends, events, going and doing so today as I came home and did the mundane tasks of laundry, checking email, etc. that I find myself feeling alone. Either way it is a feeling that I don't like. Why is it so hard to be alone at times? What is it about myself that I don't want to face? Why am I not content to be alone?

This is something I must examine for myself and will get back with you....