February Twenty-Eighteen
“But what does love look like?” I asked.
God said, “I love you when I open the shutters and let
the light in.
And I love you when I wander through the
hallways of your mind, whistling love songs to keep nightmares at bay. And I love
you when I kneel in your garden and pull the weeds that try to strangle you so
that you can grow nothing but wildflowers for days. And I love you when I brush the dust off your
piano keys and stairwells so that you can once again open up your heart to
another, and maybe even invite them in to dance.”
I whispered to God, “I don’t think I’m very
good at that.”
Then God said, “It’s okay. Sometimes your heart
is full of dust, and your home is full of hatred, and the garden soil is rocky
that not a single bit of new life can grow. But I love you anyhow, and I will
never leave you. So when you aren’t sure, listen for my lullaby. Look for the
wildflowers. I am there. I am always in the hallways of your heart. That is
love. I just can’t leave you alone.”
-Sarah Are
Nothing softeneth the arrogance of our nature like a mixture of some frailties. It is by them that we are best told, that we must not strike too hard upon others because we ourselves do so often deserve blows. They pull our rage by the sleeve and whisper gentleness to us in our censures. -Halifax
Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
What would love do? I ask myself as I look in the mirror and
start picking myself apart. Love would look past the reflection and say, “Look
how far I’ve come.” Love would say, “I’m grateful for another day.”
What would love do when my growing child comes
down the stairs with excessive grump? Love would open its arms and say,
“Getting up is hard. I know.” Love would hold its tongue. Love would give a little more time and extra grace…
What would love do when it’s
obvious my spouse forgot to do something important? Love would take a deep
breath and then say, “It’s okay. I forget things too.” Love would see all the
things he remembers and thank him for that...
What would love do when
ugliness fill the newsfeed, stands behind me grumbling in line, or cuts me off
in traffic? Love would not join in. Love would negate it by being kind to the
co-worker with sad eyes or helping the neighbor with heavy burdens…
What would love do
when finances, commitments, duties, and demands make it hard to breathe? Love
would lower the bar. Love would let something go. Love would ban the word
“should” from my vocabulary and say, “Good enough for today.” ...
What would love do
when hate-filled words and cliques build barriers that keep people out? Love
would look for the lonely, excluded, and alienated. Love would reach out a hand
and say, “Come as you are. There’s a place for you here.”...
Today I want to look
like love.
I want to sound like love.
I want to speak like love....
Too often I look like
worry, impatience, and agitation.
I’d rather look like love.
Too often I sound like arrogance, selfishness, and
greed.
I’d rather sound like love.
Too often I’m all about productivity, efficiency,
and time management.
I’d rather be all about love...
It’s not easy—choosing love
takes time, effort, thought, patience, and self-control.
But the payoff is huge.
Choosing love for myself and for those in my path
means
a better morning
a brighter outlook
a deeper connection
a softer place to lay my head at night.
I can be anything today.
I want to be love.
How about you?
- Rachel Macy Stafford, Only Love Today
On another note, I just had to share this fun news...
As
we moved to establish Children of the Kingdom as an independent 501 (c)(3)
non-profit organization this fall, we began considering a new logo and we were
able to work with Jago Silver, the illustrator of The Jesus Storybook
Bible. It has been an incredible process to work with such a
talented artist to capture the heart of the work God has given us to do.
