Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.
John 4:11
I kind of think about a year like a salad – there are good parts and there are slimy parts and there are parts that you just want to throw away.
As we close the book on 2012 and crack the spine on 2013 – what are the delicious moments you have had over the last twelve months? And what are the slimy ones?
At this time of the year we are often rushing to get to the end of the road so that we can start fresh and clean and new. We want to put the last twelve months behind us – and often because of those slimy pieces of lettuce in our lives we don’t want to look back or reflect we just want to throw the whole salad away and start with a brand new head of lettuce. But the reality is we can’t just wipe out the last twelve months. They happened. The good stuff – the bad stuff – and even the slimy stuff – It all happened.
How will we allow our 2012 salad shape our 2013 salad?
To me the first step is to pick through the salad – and specifically look for the slimy, old, rotten pieces. Maybe you lost someone you love dearly this year and the pain is excruciating. Maybe you lost your job – your house – your spouse – a friend – an election. Maybe your slimy lettuce is simply that your life is the same today on December 30th 2012 as it was on December 30th 2011 – and that makes you sad. Whatever your slimy pieces of lettuce are – pull them out of your salad and take a look at them…
Our slimy pieces of lettuce don’t have to define us – yes they are a part of our past– they have impacted our lives but they will not nourish us into 2013.
I kind of think about a year like a salad – there are good parts and there are slimy parts and there are parts that you just want to throw away.
As we close the book on 2012 and crack the spine on 2013 – what are the delicious moments you have had over the last twelve months? And what are the slimy ones?
At this time of the year we are often rushing to get to the end of the road so that we can start fresh and clean and new. We want to put the last twelve months behind us – and often because of those slimy pieces of lettuce in our lives we don’t want to look back or reflect we just want to throw the whole salad away and start with a brand new head of lettuce. But the reality is we can’t just wipe out the last twelve months. They happened. The good stuff – the bad stuff – and even the slimy stuff – It all happened.
How will we allow our 2012 salad shape our 2013 salad?
To me the first step is to pick through the salad – and specifically look for the slimy, old, rotten pieces. Maybe you lost someone you love dearly this year and the pain is excruciating. Maybe you lost your job – your house – your spouse – a friend – an election. Maybe your slimy lettuce is simply that your life is the same today on December 30th 2012 as it was on December 30th 2011 – and that makes you sad. Whatever your slimy pieces of lettuce are – pull them out of your salad and take a look at them…
Our slimy pieces of lettuce don’t have to define us – yes they are a part of our past– they have impacted our lives but they will not nourish us into 2013.
It is important to look back and remember the bad stuff so we can put it truly in the past – and it is also important to remember the very good parts of that salad of 2012 so that we can carry that through into 2013.
Last year you likely enjoyed moments of pure joy and happiness. Times of laughter and love that you wish you could have bottled up and stored forever. These are the ingredients in our salad that we want to focus on; these are the ingredients that will make our salads rich and delicious in the coming year.
And I am guessing that at the core of each of those moments of great delight was one four letter word: LOVE.
God showed us what love is by sending Jesus to us in this perfect little baby’s birth we celebrated last Tuesday. Love is giving and love is sharing and love is a choice. God chose to love us. He didn’t have to – and we don’t have to love Him – it is our choice.
And I am guessing that at the core of each of those moments of great delight was one four letter word: LOVE.
God showed us what love is by sending Jesus to us in this perfect little baby’s birth we celebrated last Tuesday. Love is giving and love is sharing and love is a choice. God chose to love us. He didn’t have to – and we don’t have to love Him – it is our choice.
As you enter 2013 you have a choice as to how you live your life - you can live it focused on the bad stuff - the gross parts of the salad - or you can live it focused on God's grace and sharing His love. And making the most beautiful salad of your life.
Scripture
Quote
Though our feelings come and go, God's love for us does not.
C.S. Lewis
Question
How can you commit to loving God and His people better in 2013?
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