Where did January go?


Where did January go? It seems the older I get the faster the months go! Goodbye and good riddance, January! You were cold and dreary. Welcome, February, the month of love and hopefully, warmer temperatures. 

This will undoubtedly be a hard month for many. Some of my friends have lost their mates. That love they thought would last a lifetime is gone. Others are longing for love. They've searched high and low but haven't found the deep, true love they're seeking. And then there's folks like me, who have been blessed with love and have grown comfortable and old with it, sometimes taking it for granted, even though they don't mean to... In each of those situations, there's one common denominator - the rarity of the gift. 

The greatest gift we can give others is love. To do that, we must give of ourselves but in order to give the right kind of love, we have to love God first. The Bible tells us that is the greatest command - to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The second command is to love others as ourselves. 

Self love isn't always easy, but if we really admit it, we do love ourselves to some degree. 

So what's a practical way we can show love to others? One of the best ways I've found to show love to others is to pray for them. This is a gift of love I can give often. Whenever a friend or loved one mentions a need, I immediately record it then, over the next days, weeks, months, and sometimes even years, I pray for each need until there's an answer. It's a great faith builder to see God work in the lives of others. 

Sometimes the needs are answered quickly and other times the answer isn't an expected one. God chooses when and how He responds according to His perfect will. 

Prayer, as an act of love, is an easy thing to do. 

This month, why not list each of your friends prayer needs they've mentioned on social media? Then, as you go about your day, and God brings someone to mind, say a little prayer for them. You might not know exactly what to say because you won't have all the details, but God knows the need. You can offer up a simple prayer like this: 

"Oh, Gracious Heavenly Father, right now, I feel You putting ____________ on my heart. I don't know what ____________ really needs right now, but you do. Would you please meet that need according to Your perfect will? Would you surround my friend with Your comforting presence? May ________feel your strong arms of compassion undergirding (him/her) throughout the day? And Father, may I be quick to offer words of love and encouragement to ________ in the days ahead as you lead me. Thank you for what you're going to do and thank you that I can come boldly before Your throne with my requests. In the Precious name of Jesus, I pray, Amen." 

We should love others because He first loved us, so let's do it! And remember, love is an action word. You have to put forth a little effort to get it going. 

Comments