LOVE ONE ANOTHER

So we are taught by Christ to "Love One Another". I have been thinking about this today while at Church, and during some of my reading. I believe all of God's plans and wisdom is of course for a reason. So I started thinking about this and families. I think the Lord had the plan of families, to teach us HOW to "love one another".

Kim B. Clark wrote - "The Lord wants us to learn to love everyone, but the plan is that we start by learning how to love and serve those we know intimately. In this there is great opportunity for growth."

How better for the Lord to teach us and guide us to, hopefully, love everyone - or "love one another" - than to have this divine plan called a family?


I mean seriously isn't being part of a family the ultimate "boot camp" of learning to love people unconditionally!?! I know that I love my children unconditionally. I have to - if am to survive the throwing up, dirty diapers, endless laundry, being a taxi driver to them, supporter of each, cheerleader to all, leader, and giving up my "to do list" at the last minute because of their needs....without even a second thought. In those moments I am not thinking "poor me", I just act out of the love of a mother. It is later that night when I am exhausted that my more human mind points out how I did nothing on my list and I am tired of dealing with poopy. ;)

Families are the perfect place to learn not to yell - how to show love and concern - how to sacrifice - how to lose oneself in serving others --- and on and on and on. All the things that truly help us learn how to be Christ-like in our lives.

Are we perfect at it? Of course not....that is the great thing about this life. We get to learn and grow - if we so choose.

I know as I look back at the week or two of the "no yelling" and "no saying things more than once" that it has helped me take a step in this area. I always knew I loved my kids and without a second thought I would die for them....but at the end of the day was I truly loving them with all my heart unconditionally? The answer made me sad - it was "no" a lot of days, or at least "love them but not liking them too much at this moment" was the feeling at the end of that day. But in these few weeks the answer has been way more times a "yes". I figured out it is because of my response to them.

See, when I have not allowed myself to "lose it" with them, or let them "push my buttons", or "drive me crazy" to point of going over the edge, I do not hold any frustration towards them. I am calm, and love them and try to teach them that they choose to act a certain way , and that they then in turn choose the results their actions cause. There is no need to allow feelings - like a good friend use to say - "a feeling like I could drop kick them across the room" {not really but you get the picture}. We want our kids to show calmness and love and kindness...they will only do that if they see it in us.

I still have days I fall short in this area --- but I think having this thought today about Jesus teaching us to "love one another", and the family is the place to truly start living it and learning it --- I think I might just possibly have way fewer days that I feel I am falling short in this area. I can at least hope and pray for that. =)

So I challenge each of us to try - just for one day - to truly love one another as the Lord has taught us. Maybe if we each did that, it wouldn't be such a scary world to raise our kids in. Just a thought.