Through the Lens of Love

Ephesians 4:2New Life Version (NLV)

2 Live and work without pride. Be gentle and kind. Do not be hard on others. Let love keep you from doing that.

Romans 15:7New Life Version (NLV)

7 Receive each other as Christ received you. This will honor God.

Proverbs 4:23New Life Version (NLV)

23 Keep your heart pure for out of it are the important things of life.

I’m currently reading a book that my grandfather had given my father who had given it to me.  I actually opened the book last Friday not realizing what day it was until after I began reading, it was my parents 44th wedding anniversary.  My father was looking down on me and nudging me to read this book.  In fact, I remember when he gave it to me, I internally rolled my eyes, like a teenager would do, and put it on my shelf.  The book is titled “The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino.  In this book, he lays out the principles we should live by in order to be successful.  

The first principle is this: “View everyone and everything through the lens of love”.  This can be easy for some, but not most of us.  You have to have a change of perspective.  You have to have an open heart and mind.  You have to “check your face” and attitude.  God intends for us to reflect His love.  When faced with adversity, it is hard to confront it with silence and slap it in the face with the phrase, “I love you”.   

God intends on us to live a life feeling loved.  For those who don’t know His love, how will they unless we greet them with that love.  

It is not meant to be easy on our own, but “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you…If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:7-11).”

Be Blessed!  

My Prayer

Exodus 18:17-18Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

17 “What you’re doing is not good,” Moses’ father-in-law said to him. 18 “You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone.”

Psalm 46:10New Life Version (NLV)

10 Be quiet and know that I am God. I will be honored among the nations. I will be honored in the earth.

Life can be very chaotic.  To the point of where we fill out time and life with the little things that don’t truly matter.  After really digging and reflecting on my heart and life this summer, I realized that I had a huge issue with “gluttony”. Not gluttony of over eating, but gluttony of over scheduling.  This is a prayer I wrote after a good, soul searching summer.  

My prayer…

As I come home from a reflective summer in Nashville, I feel excited, anxious, full of life, and strength.  This past year my plate of life was full.  Full of planned activities and events.  My goal was “to do more and be more for others”.  In doing that, I was saving the leftovers for my family.  I was swimming up stream and having no emotional energy for my family.  Even when I was present with my family, I wasn’t truly “present”.  The list that I had in my head was ongoing and taking up my brain space to the point that I could sit and be with my kids, but I truly wasn’t “being” with them.  

So I HAVE to change.  I’m going to take what has been engrained within my heart and soul and put it into action.  I’m going to block out periods of time for my devotionals and time with You.  I’m going to spend more time with Adam and being intentional about that time.  I’m going to pour into others, but not at the expense of the ones I love most.  I will set boundaries and arrange my schedule so that I am not stretched beyond my mental abilities.  

In this next season of life, I pray that I stay strong in giving time to my faith, marriage, kids, and our business.  Lord, please help me to stay focused on these goals that you have laid on my heart.  

Your loving and devoted daughter, 

Laura 

Row Boat vs. Sailboat

Isaiah 26:3New Life Version (NLV)

3 You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You, because he trusts in You.

Psalm 62:8The Message (MSG)

7-8 

My help and glory are in God

    —granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—

So trust him absolutely, people;

    lay your lives on the line for him.

    God is a safe place to be.

James 1:2-4The Message (MSG)

Faith Under Pressure

2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

Row Boat vs. Sailboat

This summer a dear friend and I were reflecting on different times in our lives and how God has really steered us through them even when we didn't understand “why” we were in that season.  Enters the “Row Boat vs. Sailboat” analogy.  

When we are in the midst of rough seas in our lives, we tend to work harder to stay ahead.  We start to loose focus and work harder to beat the winds around us.  We feel like we have waves coming at us from all sides.  We want to take charge of the direction we are going.  We keep our minds focused on our goals and destinations.  You have a “rowboat” mentality.  

Instead, we need to let God flow through us naturally.  We need Him to work in and through us to guide the boat, but let the wind do all of the work.  His wind is a lot stronger than our work.  God doesn’t intend to make us work harder, but to reflect and learn from situations and more forward.  We can do this by staying focused on HIM and Him do His work in and through us.  Let his love be the wind in our sails.  

Be Blessed!  

P.S.

Katherine Caputo, you are a dear friend that reminds me that God is large and in charge.  Love you sister!