what the supermarket lady taught me about love

Yesterday I casually complimented one of the check-out ladies in the supermarket and it couldn't have had a more profound effect.

It wasn't anything big - I just said that I liked her hair bow.

But this lady just lit up. She beamed at me and we chatted

for a few minutes. I could tell that it really meant something to her.

I don't say that to pump myself up, it's just that now it's got me thinking. 

I've been reading 1st John lately, 

and it's all about love. 

Specifically, showing Jesus' love to others. 

1st John reasons that if Christ loved us so much that He died for us, we in turn should pour that unconditional love out on others.

But I'm selfish.

And most days, I'm a fighter, not a lover.

But Christ always lavishes me in love. And lately He's just been

absolutely hammering that issue of love into my mind.

What does love look like?

I don't really know the specifics yet. I'm still learning. 

But I have noticed something - love changes the way I think. Because at the end of the day, what I put in my head, and what I fixate on in my mind, really matters. This can be powerful, or it can be damaging.

So maybe my frame of mind is essential to love. 

Maybe it begins here. Maybe my mindset is everything.

On the days when I have drenched myself in Scripture, I can fight my way through the fires of this culture. I have a better line of defense against the lies I tend to feed. And I can see clearly that I was made to love, and to be loved - this is what I was born for. 

I wasn't created to wish that I looked like someone else. 

I wasn't designed by my Maker to compare myself

to friends or family or celebrities, or even myself of the past. 

 Why do I so often choose anxiety and pride and a 

billion other lies instead of God's warm arms?

Well, I am here. 

I exist.

And so do you.

Do you want more?

We're not getting any younger.

Every day that passes is a day that we'll never have back.

And I wonder, today, did I live to get by? 

Did I live for the deadlines?

Or did I love?

Goal: I want to see the beauty in others and in who God has made me to be and to smile, because none of us are bulletproof. 

I want to embrace these vulnerabilities, even in those moments I have to smile to keep from screaming.

He loves us. Don't forget.

To see the beaming smile of the check-out lady when I complimented her hair bow - maybe that was it. To see someone else feel known, appreciated. To truly see someone even when they might feel invisible. Maybe that is love. 

Prequel to the Love Series. What that is, remains to be seen. 

+ Yo yo yo my blogging people - has anyone else noticed the changes with Blogger lately? A new design? Is it just me? AM I GOING MAD?! 

Also, what is one way that you like to show love to people around you? 

Baking cookies is always acceptable.