Less of Me More of You For 2011

Welcoming 2011 in was very low key at my family's. My Grandmother went to sleep at 8pm followed by my dad around 10pm. I soon toddled off around 11:20pm with eyes that could just not stay open anymore. I believe the only one that made it until 12am was my mom and the surrounding neighbors with their fireworks. It is so clear that we are a party family.

For the first day of the New Year I stayed in my PJs. Not really being lazy but more of starting the New Year off with a relaxed feel. My Grandmother and I had fun watching the Rose Parade. Afterwards I had some time to think about what is unfolding in 2011. There is a lot coming and many changes! Many are exciting and others are nerve racking. But there is a theme I want to thread into the patchwork of the New Year. Something that is unlike anything else on my to do list, something that is so simple, and something that makes you work harder then you ever thought. Waving in and out of 2011 in my heart and mind is crazy, reckless, and unwavering LOVE.

We all know the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart AND to love your neighbor as yourself. Knowing and doing are two different things! This year I feel God calling me to push myself to really follow in the steps of Christ. My spirit knows there will come some easy days in LOVE and some that are just hard. But without the hard things in life we never know how strong God makes us and without the easy days we would forget how SWEET He is to us. Because, I will push myself to live I will learn a lot about me and my relationship with God but the strong undertow that comes with LOVE it that it is contagious. Deep in my heart I believe that Revolutionary Love can CHANGE this word.

Just think of the possibilities. People loving their neighbor as themselves...heart by heart, city street by city street, hearts and lives could be changed! Just thinking about the possibility I can see what Christ had in mind when He gave the commandment. There is no doubt that it is not easy, we have wavered far off course, and our natural nature does not like it. But I am called to love, we are called to love. So as easy or hard it may be day to day I seek to weave LOVE (not for myself) in and out of every aspect of 2011.