INTENTIONAL

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sin”

1 Peter 4:48

Since the last time I wrote a blog I have been extremely busy. I honestly do not think I have ever been as busy in my life as I have been recently. I am so thankful that I get to be busy, however, I do not know if busyness is always a good thing. I remember making a comment one time when I was in middle or high school about how I never wanted to be so busy that I lost my focus on others. I think that comment must have come from some hurt that I was experiencing, but how true is that?? When we get busy, our focus typically tends to shift to ourselves and what we need to get done.

In my recent busyness, I have gotten a lot done, I feel fulfilled, and I honestly feel really happy. However, the other day, I paused and asked myself what I have been doing for others lately? To be quite honest, it hasn’t been much. I haven’t really been paying attention to their needs. It isn’t that I have been neglecting their needs, it’s just that I am not looking for them. In that pause, I began to think about how much my focus has been on myself recently. 

I began to reflect on a few questions. The first being, is loving others my plan? Is that my goal each day? When I think we get down to it, I think that we are our own plan. Our plan a lot of times is to build our own little kingdom by trying to create perfect realities, achieve our goals, get to the next great thing, achieve that social status, or for a lot of us make our lives look perfect on social media. We put a lot of effort into perfection and image—even when we don’t necessarily think that we are. 

The reality of it is, we are all so similar. We all have insecurities, we all wish things were different, and we all are just as broken as one another. I think that is one of the most beautiful things about our Savior, He died for us all. He didn’t just die for those who are a “little” damaged. He died so that we ALL may be whole again. We can never, on our own efforts make ourselves good enough, and He recognizes that. Even though we may compare ourselves to other people and think that our brokenness is not as bad as theirs, the hard truth is that we are all sinners who have fallen short, not matter what you have done. 

So, I think when we make love our goal, we recognize the brokenness in all of us. We recognize that we are all hurting, and we understand why we should take the focus off of ourselves so much. So, I think about how the younger version of myself never wanted to lose my focus, and how wise that comment was. I understood the value of feeling like you are important and seen. 

I am challenging myself to actually slow down and be intentional in every situation, to look for the needs of others, keep short accounts, and remember that fulfillment does not always come from a life that is packed with activity, but one that is marked by the love of Christ.