Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! As we celebrate all things love-y, I can't help but think of Christ's words regarding love. When Jesus was asked, "Teacher, what is the greatest commandment?" (Matthew 22:36), he replied, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and foremost commandment. The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39).

So, basically, we're supposed to love God and love people. That's so beautiful and straightforward. Very easy to understand. Should be easy to implement, right? UM, NOT SO MUCH. We all know that our messy/sinful/selfish natures tend to keep us from loving God (and people!) in a truly genuine, selfless manner. (Sigh.) So, while this is on my mind, I want to jot down a few notes for my kiddos, just in case they ever read these posts in the future:

What does it mean to LOVE God?

Since actions speak louder than words,

here's a brief rundown of the first ACTIONS that come to mind:

- We can demonstrate our love for God by obeying His commandments (John 14:15).

(We can strive to be humble. To be generous. To be kind. To be patient. Etc. Is it possible to follow these commands perfectly every day? Nope. Again, we're messy/sinful people. We'll mess up a thousand times every month. But should we strive to keep these commandments? Yep, you bet! After all, these commands are always in our best interests, right? I mean, He MADE us. He knows what's best. And He LOVES us. He calls us His children (1 John 3:1). And, like any good Father, he has established rules/boundaries for our own good. We can trust Him!)

- We can demonstrate our love for God by reading the Bible.

(The Bible is life-giving! The words written on its pages can restore our souls. Bring wisdom and clarity. Remind us of what TRULY matters. Facebook, on the other hand, can be life-robbing sometimes, right??? If we're honest, isn't that true? The never-ending black hole of social media can steal our time and our joy. Now, is there a place for social media in our lives? Yes, absolutely! But many of us - including yours truly here - tend to allow social media to dominate our free time. My hope is that we'll all dig into the Word just a little bit more with each passing year. Reading the Bible is worth the extra effort of reaching for that physical book!)

-We can demonstrate our love for God by pursuing Him.

(You know, we can make time for Him even when we feel like we have no time. There is so much JOY and PEACE in our relationship with God. Making Him priority numero uno is SO worth the effort! Reading the Bible. Talking to Him. Listening to podcasts which nudge us a little closer to Him. All are great ways to PURSUE Him!)

-We can demonstrate our love for God by honoring Him with our decisions.

(When we're faced with tough decisions and can't decide between several "right" options, we can ask ourselves, "What is most honoring to God?" This one question has a knack for making all decisions CRYSTAL.CLEAR. I learned this tip from Andy Stanley several years ago, and I've been astonished by the clarity this brings to EVERY situation. While many options can seem "right," only one will stand out as the choice that's obviously most honoring to God.)

-We can demonstrate our love for God by serving others (Heb 6:10; Gal 5:13; Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 4:10).

(We can volunteer at a soup kitchen. Visit grandparents. Play games with those in the nursing home. Deliver a meal to a sick friend. Host our friends' kids for a playdate. Invite our mentors to dinner. Shovel our elderly neighbor's driveway. The possibilities are endless! Focus on serving ONE person today. And then one more tomorrow. Before you know it, service will become a life-changing, soul-enriching, God-honoring habit!)

-We can demonstrate our love for God by caring specifically for orphans and widows (James 1:27).

(This is a specific command in the Bible. We are to care for orphans and widows because they are the ones who are most often "forgotten" in our society. If you aren't sure how to connect with those who are widowed or orphaned, then consider looking into WIPHAN. WIPHAN - "widows + orphans" - is a wonderful organization which serves the most vulnerable women and children in Zambia & Kenya. And, y'all, this organization is the real deal. I know some of the folks who started this ministry. Their hearts and efforts are transparent, and their work is AMAZING. And - GET THIS! - you are able to VISIT the children you sponsor!!!)

Now, how do we demonstrate our love for PEOPLE?

Again, here's a brief list of some ACTIONS that speak louder than words:

-We can demonstrate our love for others by FORGIVING them. By allowing grace to pour from our hearts in BUCKETS!

(Forgiving the unforgivable is tough, but that's exactly what God has done for us. He has forgiven the unforgivable in us, even though we weren't IN ANY WAY deserving of such grace. So we must forgive others too. Even when they don't deserve it. Even when they aren't sorry. We must forgive, again and again. Besides, holding onto anger and resentment will only hurt us, not them. There is FREEDOM and JOY in forgiveness!)

-We can demonstrate our love for others by getting involved in our communities.

(Sometimes it's tempting to stay in our own little bubbles, but God created us to live in community. We need to put forth the effort to engage in our neighborhoods, in our towns, and in our social-media-bound circles of friends. Life is so rich when it's lived alongside others. We can pick each other up when life knocks us down. We can celebrate victories and birthdays and milestones together. We can enjoy face-to-face conversations as we nudge one another toward deeper friendship. The rewards of REAL COMMUNITY are IMMEASURABLE!)

(For any girls/ladies who might be viewing this post, consider reading Sally Clarkson's new book, Girls' Club. This easy, uplifting read offers gentle motivation in the "get-connected department," and you can't help but love Sally's sweet spirit. She is such a beautiful soul!)

-We can demonstrate our love for others by putting their needs ahead of our own (Rom 12:10).

(With humility and respect, we are called to care for the needs of others above our own needs. We are asked to SERVE. In our marriages. In our families. And in our communities too. We are called to lay down our lives for those around us, just as Christ laid down His life for us. This is HARD, right? But it's SO worth the effort. Not just because of what it does for the other person, but because of how this humble service shapes our own character.)

-We can demonstrate our love for others by encouraging them.

(We can genuinely encourage our spouse, our children, our families, and our friends. No one needs unnecessary - or, worse, unwarranted - praise. But we all need gentle encouragement in a sincere fashion. Life is tough. We should be uplifting whenever possible. We should THINK before we post that picture/thought on Facebook/Instagram - is our motivation to encourage others with that post? If so, let's go for it - post away! Otherwise, we might want to consider holding off.)

-We can demonstrate our love for others by praying for them.

(God wants us to pray for others. Will He answer every prayer? Nope. Thankfully, almighty and holy God is NOT our genie-in-a-bottle. He is, however, our Father in heaven who wants us to reach out to him. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. And that relationship begins with prayer. Prayer changes US, not God. We should pray for those who are hurting. Pray for those who are overwhelmed. Pray for anyone - and everyone - who comes to mind when we open our hearts to God. We can trust Him to answer those prayers in the way HE knows to be best. He is all-mighty and all-loving God, after all!)

-We can demonstrate our love for others by spreading JOY and KINDNESS.

(As much as we're able to spread joy and kindness, we should do so! Even in the midst of pain. Even in the midst of heartache. We should strive to BE KIND. And GENTLE. And we should always, always strive to LOVE our enemies - Matthew 5:43-48.)

This list could go on forever and ever. Thankfully, it won't! ;-)

My hope and prayer is simply that each of us (myself included) will lean into love - more and more - with each passing year. May God help us to love one another well, and may He accept our feeble attempts to love Him above all else.