The Greatest Gift is Love

As you may have already figured out. Each day, I will be writing about the things, people and insights that came from the day before. What you may not have realize is that you have now become my accountability partner. Wow! You didn't see that coming did you. Well, neither did I.

I got up yesterday morning and went in to wake up my seven year old son. It was a Wednesday, a school day, with the same routine as every other day. I lovingly patted his back and called his name. "Get up honey" I said. All I heard from him was a grunt as he pulled the covers over his head. I gently nudged him again. From under the covers came a guttural sound that I think was "LEAVE ME ALONE!".

After I finally got him out of bed, he enters the living room with a tee shirt and shorts on. We live in Missouri, its cold here in November. "Go put jeans on" I say. "I don't want to wear jeans" .... and the argument begins.

Ten minutes later when he is finally dressed properly, we move on to the subject of breakfast. "What would you like for breakfast?" I say. He replies, "What do we have?". By now my patience is gone and I am not thinking like Jesus would at all! I'm thinking, for pete sakes, I have the same things we had in the cabinets yesterday, the day before and for that matter, the last five years. Come On! But instead, I give him his selection of items available for breakfast.

After I finally get him off to school and sit down to do my daily devotions, this thought came to me. "You said you were going to get up everyday and give your day to Jesus to be used by him, did you do that?" Well I guess the daily dedication and commitment each day must come before I even get out of bed!

This blog has reminded me that there are no days off, and the day begins when your feet hit the floor. That I should strive to live each moment of each day to do as Christ would do. Will I fail? Of course I will. I am still here on earth, not in heaven . Until then, I will fall and pick myself back up many times. So you see how you have become my accountability? I can't write about how Jesus changed my day if I didn't take him with me.

Here is what else I learned from the rest of my day.

As I went about my day, I saw many people and once again engaged with them. The woman at the gas station, Wendy's, the book store. Sometimes they seemed surprised by me. Like they weren't used to people being kind to them or trying to have a conversation with them. Then on my way home I said a small prayer to my Lord.

"Jesus, give me a heart to love these people. To really love them. Young and old, strangers and ones I know. And yes, even the ones that make it hard to love them. Let me love them like you love them, I can't do it on my own. And their life won't change without you as their savior. You have said that the unbeliever will know we are yours by our love. Make it known that I am yours."


I Corinthians 13:1-3 "Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."