Happy New Year! It’s a time of resolutions and the hope to make this year better than last year.
Working in the fitness industry, I’d always see a rush of people joining the gym, to never be seen again after January 16th. With only a couple of weeks worth of commitment, it would break my heart, because I know that if they would make it just a bit longer their whole world could be transformed.
In my blog series the real secret to weight loss we talked about the depth in which change needs to come into our life, surface level attempts at change always lead to failure.
It’s 2018 and as we start our commitments to a better us – I encourage you to consider a commitment to more love. More Self-love, more love toward others, more studying of love, teaching of love, encouraging love from others. Why – because from love everything else flows – through love we will have a better version of ourselves, be more successful in all areas of life and see a better version of those around us!
Our Families Commitment to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Intentional is what I strive for, especially in parenting. I fail often – my impatience, unkindness and rudeness take over sometimes, and so does my children’s, but striving for something attainable keeps us all on track. My husband and I have made a commitment in 2018 to teaching our children based on 1 Corinthians 13. Peter says “above all, love one another, because love covers a multitude of sins“. So shouldn’t we take this word Love more serious than anything else?
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is typically a wedding verse but I’m choosing it for our life and family verse. It gives us the characterization of the excellent way in which we are encouraged to live. Let each line of this verse sink in for a moment as you read these; think of how they would impact your life, your child’s life, your marriage, your job, your self-worth….: ( I added a few notes that we use for our parenting plan)
Love is Patient
Love is Kind
It does not Envy (be happy for one another and don’t beg for their toy)
It does not Boast (don’t brag about what you can do better – teach each other how to do it)
It is not Proud (be able to say sorry and I love you – always see your part in the situation)
It does not dishonor others (respect each other, your stuff, their stuff …)
It is not self-seeking (think of each other first – always..we have a few rules on this one)
It is not easily angered
It keeps no record of wrong (forgiveness and forget in our family)
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth (honesty always)
It always protects
Always trusts (we trust each other because we are always honest)
Always Hopes (encourage each other’s growth)
Always perseveres (we always choose right regardless of others behavior)
So…?
There is an element within this that many overlook, and that’s to love your neighbor as yourself. I know too many people who don’t love themself, and I’m included in that group. Crazy thing about love is that we can’t love others unless we know how to love ourselves. Not the unhealthy kind of ego love but the self accepting love. The kind of love that allows us to give ourselves grace for messing up, knows to turn to God in all things and is able and willing to receive God’s grace and give it to everyone we encounter.
Our inner dialog can be one of the most unloving places that we live, it is for me. This commitment to love needs to impact the way we talk to ourselves, before we can start impacting the way we talk and treat others and before we can move forward on any other journey to a better self.
In our home we will stay committed to asking ourselves and our children, “was that loving?” – we will go through the verse to find out if the characteristic we just displayed was indeed loving or the opposite of and take steps to make our actions and words more loving, say sorry and give lots and lots of forgiveness and grace.
If you’re in for a love resolution, I encourage you to unpack this verse – you’ll find the tools you need to have a successful love resolution. You want change in 2018, fewer worries, less heartbreak, less self hate…Live out the characteristics of love!!! Teach it, live it, breathe it, accept it and love yourself as you learn to love with more power – That’s when your life will truly be transformed!
Cheers to 2018 – may all your days be filled with the Love of God radiating from you!
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