February…the month of LOVE! Sending you all great love, my friends!
How are you holding up? In February of last year, my husband was just returning home from a skiing trip to Utah when we began hearing the rumor of a pandemic which had hit China. Little did we know, the whole world would be different within a year!
It’s been a rough year for us during this pandemic, as we have had very limited time with my 85 year old parents–one with congestive heart failure and the other with dementia. It’s hard to stay so far away from people you love while knowing they are facing their sunset and you have missed out on a year full of memory making. We had so many plans for time we had hoped to share. Around Thanksgiving, we lost a lifelong friend who was driving his motorcycle when a tree fell on the road before him. He died very suddenly and tragically. Shortly after that, we received the news days before Christmas that my 44 year old cousin had succumbed to Covid and went home to be with Jesus.
Life is precious and sweet and each day is a gift. We are all going through difficulty, but I believe that love is always the answer for hurting hearts.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NIV
As we go about our lives during a pandemic, we must remember to be a light and bring light into the darkness. The lightness of our being can bring hope to others and in doing so, invigorate our own sense of hope. As I go about my days, I am consciously aware of the sensitivities of those around me and how they may be struggling. What can I do to be a light bearer, a healing listener and to be tender keeper of hurting hearts?
“If we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in awhile, but what we do consistently.” Anthony Robbins
Love is an action. When we do it consistently and without reservation we help others to accept themselves, feel worthy and valued. In doing so, the doors of our hearts open wider, expanding possibility and cultivating a ripple effect. Hebrews 12:29 says that God’s love is a “consuming fire”. His love ignites the flame in our hearts and like a consuming fire, we cannot hold it back. A consuming fire is one that cannot be extinguished or controlled. We should not only worship the Father with this same fervor but pursue the lost, the downtrodden, the low in spirit with consuming love.
The world needs the light. We all crave the light. We were made for it. Love is the light and the light is LOVE–God Himself. The very flicker of light inside of us is a reflection of God in us.
“Life is denied by lack of attention, whether it be to cleaning windows or trying to write a masterpiece.” Nadia Boulanger
What we pay attention to tends to grow. If we tend to matters of the heart, practice compassion, consider others with the love of Christ, these things will grow in our lives. Love freely given imbues us with a greater sense of connectedness, which is something we all need right now. We must water the flowers we want to grow.
I learned in my work both as a hospital chaplain and an minister presiding over a large outreach, that love returns 100 fold the more we give it away. As our arms open, so do our hearts. Our world expands in the proportion that we pray with others, lend a listening ear or an encouraging word. Our world expands in proportion to the love we give. Love being the consuming fire that it is, what we give is returned to us.
February is considered the month of love. Perhaps we can help each other heal and transform wounded hearts to hearts of joy. This past year, we have all been through and witnessed trauma. We need all of the collective love we can muster to restore joy and hope and bring healing to the world. I have a dear and wise friend, 92 year old Pat, whose friendship has been a soothing balm to my heart throughout the past year. We have agreed that laughter is great medicine and we find laughter together during our telephone conversations. We laugh in the midst of our human drama and heal our hearts by finding light in the darkness of a situation. Even the smallest things can bring us joy as we practice letting Love guide our hearts. There is One true Love. Jesus. When I say “practice letting love guide our hearts”, the intention is to let Him be our guide. God is LOVE.
Passionately pursue things of Love. It is a consuming fire. Let it fill your heart and consume your life, for you will find great treasure. The more of it within us, the more it overflows to others. This is Light.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NIV
Thank you for being part of my LOVE story and helping to shape me into the person that I am. You play such a tremendous role in my story and sense of purpose. Thank you for demonstrating pure LOVE, which helps me to thrive.
Happy February–the Month of Love! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Be the Light.
Love,
Mary