2015- The Year of Love

I consider myself a somewhat friendly person, even as an introvert.  I also consider myself a compassionate individual.

But there are times when people just flat get on my nerves. 

Even people I am supposed to truly care about... sometimes especially those people.

So this year, as I prayed about what word God wanted me to focus on this year, I kept on seeing the word love.

I thought, "Oh, God.  You've got to be kidding me.  Because I love others.  I'm friendly and nice and leave pretty good tips most of the time and I don't go off on the staff at McDonalds or Wendys or wherever when they get my order wrong, and I'm mostly patient standing in line at Walmart when there are only 2 registers open to serve what seems like every person in Breathitt and the 3 surrounding counties (the other people must have gone to Richmond or Winchester or Hazard, otherwise they'd be standing in line with me.)

And really, what does love mean?  How does He want me to define that? I mean, I love Wallace and Caleb. 

But I also love mint chocolate chip ice cream and a good book on a rainy day and feeling the sunshine on my shoulders as the wind blows through the windchimes on the front porch.  I love a good slice of Papa John's pizza and a cold Diet Coke. I love football and basketball, and occasionally I love yelling at the referees, even though I feel a little guilty after the game is over.

As I pondered this word, I thought about 2014 and all that it brought with it, how I learned that the people in your life are really the most important and that even difficult circumstances could be overcame with the right support system. 

And I thought about how I'm always praying that God shows me His Will for me... what is my purpose, anyway?  As I go about my day teaching and cheering at ballgames and surfing facebook... what in this world am I supposed to be doing?

And then I thought about how I'm supposed to be a light in this dark world... this world full of hate and evil, the antithesis of love.

Love is an action.  It is not a feeling, or an emotion. 

And love is what God desires.  It's our purpose.  It's how we can serve as lights... because they will know us by our love.

And as I thought about this, I realized that every action that I do for someone else is a matter of love.

If I do it reluctantly, I take away some of the gift... but if I'm truly doing things for others, instead of focusing on me, every single time that I say thank you or hold open a door or let someone out in traffic or get up at 3 AM because Wallace wants a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is an act of love.

According to Bible gateway.com, there are over 400 entries in the KJV translation of the Bible with the word love.  It first appears in the book of Genesis and is found in the last book, Revelation. It appears in 49 books of the Bible.

And it is the greatest commandment. "Faith, hope, and charity... but the greatest of these is charity."

So, in 2015, I'll be diving in God's Word and looking at love.  What does Jesus say about love? I'll be memorizing scripture for Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Memory team revolving around love.

And I'll be putting it into action.  Random acts of kindness toward others... but also intentional acts of kindness.... like biting my tongue and seeking out opportunities to help others. To love in not just word but in deed.

It's going to be a challenging year, because loving others means putting them first, and I'm not great at that...

But I'm up for the challenge. 

Do you have a word you're focusing on? I'd love to hear about it!