Skip to main content

Resolution for 2020

Do you remember your resolutions for 2019? For those who do, how did you do with them?

Here's one for 2020 you might consider. It's simple, but can be hard, complicated, and frustrating. I suppose any attempt to modify our behaviors or ourselves can be those things. This one though you don't have to set time apart for, it doesn't create another bill, and doesn't require sweating or giving up ice cream.

This year, become love. You might start off by figuring out what love might do in this moment or for someone. Ask yourself, "what would a loving me do..." in the next five minutes, or for the person next to me, or in anticipation of some event.

You might write a reminder at the top of your calendar or journal, or set a reminder in your phone just to prod you to ask yourself that question at sometime during the day. You might, but you don't have to, start your day by anticipating when and where that day you can be love. Conversely, at the end of the day, review where you were loving that day, or maybe where you missed an opportunity. This last, not to beat yourself up; just acknowledge. This is more about becoming aware of what opportunities might look like rather than keeping score. Love doesn't keep score.

About keeping score, when you miss a day of anticipation or review, or of writing or heeding the reminder to love on some day, don't sweat it. Just start where you are. This isn't about perfection; it's about becoming.

One other observation. As you become Love, you will become grateful, patient, kind, gentle, generous, and calm. When those begin to show up, all those other resolutions you were considering become easier because you are more aware of reality, of what's important, of the best way to live.

As you consider resolutions for next year, put this one on the list and live into it. You will have more joy and the world - at least the corner you impact - will be a better place.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Passover, The First Born, Abraham, and You

Israel has been in captivity in Egypt, Moses has completed his contests with Pharaoh, and the People of Israel have been expelled from Egypt. The death of Egyptian firstborn children and livestock has compelled their removal into the wilderness. At the end of Exodus 12, God institutes the Passover in remembrance of the Angel of Death passing by the homes of Jews on the night the Egyptian firstborn children were killed. Notably, they were spared if in a house with blood around the door.  The Passover is established for Israel herself, including their slaves who have been circumcised. If a sojourner wants to celebrate the Passover with you, he can after he circumcises all males with him. I suspect that pretty much eliminated any visitors participating. In chapter 13, the protocols include redeeming Israel's firstborn. In this discussion, God says your firstborn belongs to God, and you must redeem your firstborn or you must kill it. God has redeemed Israel's firstborn by the blood...

Wineskins II

       In chapter 16 of Matthew, Peter ‘makes the great confession’ - Jesus he says is the Son of the Living God. At Covenant, when someone wants to become a member or to be baptized, we ask them who Jesus is and we expect this response. Peter is correct when he says this, but it is not clear that Peter (or the other disciples) understood the ramifications of his statement. Following Peter’s statement we find a series of incidents that make us wonder just how much Peters actually believed what he had said.      In the first instance, Jesus compares Peter to Satan. Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to Jerusalem and there he will die. Peter exclaims that he will not let that happen; Jesus will not be killed. Peter is expecting great things from Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God on behalf of Israel and he cannot fit Jesus dying into his hope for a greater Israel under this Messiah. This cannot happen, he reasons. Jesus’s response is a harsh re...

Faith to Faith

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." (Romans 1.16-17, ESV) There are various renderings and understandings of the phrase as it is used here, "faith for faith." Both words for faith derive from pistis, with the first being pisteos (genitive) and the second, pistin (accusative) . Faith, we are told, begins in faith and leads to faith. The import of this origin and fulfillment is found in the next sentence above, the righteous shall live by faith (genitive). We might word this as "already held or possessed faith will result in or lead to faith. As it is written, the one who has faith will parlay that faith into a salvific faith. Faith held by the believer will lead the believer to greater or more complete faith, resulting in her s...