choosing to love

I'm learning to love in new ways, learning to love when love is not readily returned.  

Love of course, is a choice. 

I can choose to love and choose to act in love, regardless of how others are acting.  Sometimes it's easy - when someone is kind to me, I want to be nice to them. But when people are mean, the natural (human, sinful) response is to be nasty right back at them.  Being mean back doesn't actually make me happy though.  It just adds to the hurt and nastiness of the whole situation and makes things worse.

...love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you

Luke 6.27-28 NIV

What wisdom in these words from Jesus, who did just that - He loved and had compassion on the very people who not only mistreated him but killed Him.  And He continues to love the rest of us who do things that hurt Him.

When I respond to hurtful words or actions with love and kindness, I feel better.  When I pray for the person -- not that they get what they deserve, as tempting as that is! but that they come to know His love so that they don't continue to be mean -- I get some peace in my heart.

I want to act in love towards everyone and respond in love to everything.  I don't get this right every time by any means, but I know it's the right thing to do and that He's helping me -- and that gives me the energy and motivation to keep working at it.

attitude check

Attitude.  It's such a powerful thing.  I find it SO EASY to start down the slippery slope toward a bad attitude and quickly find myself in a terrible mood with all sorts of reasons to be angry and hurt.  It happens so fast! 

I've been thinking about this and working on trying to stop the train before it hurdles down the slope out of control.  I'm doing this because a bad 'tude spoils my day and affects others around me as I lose my patience and my kindness. 

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he...

Prov 23.7 AMP

But I'm also - and more importantly - working on this because I know it doesn't honour God.  I spent time in prayer and reflection today and asked Him to cleanse me of any influences on my mind, thoughts and emotions that are not of Him.  And I asked for His help as I move forward with my intent to 'take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ'.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10.5 NIV

It's a new day, a clean start.  I've already had to put this into practice a couple times today.  But they were successes and I know I'm honouring God when I banish negative thoughts before they have a chance to turn into a big bad attitude.