What do we often choose instead of love?

We choose to be unkind. We choose to be selfish. We choose to judge. We choose to compare. We choose to be bitter, resentful, angry, and any other emotions that do not serve us.

When we choose something other than love who feels something other than love – us!

We feel whatever we choose.

We think that if we withhold love till the other person gets their act together and acts how we want them to then we’ll feel better. We think I don’t want to waste my love on someone who won’t appreciate it or doesn’t deserve it but who suffers when I don’t choose love – me!

When I choose love, I get to experience the love.

We often think that we get to experience love when someone else shows us love. We get to experience love when we choose to show up in love. We generate love by thinking loving things about the people and circumstances in our lives.

We are not letting anyone off the hook by withholding love. We are basically putting ourselves on the hook.

We get to choose how we show up in the world. Let’s choose love! Love is a choice!

Christ’s love for us makes us loveable. He created us. We are good. We are worthy. We are enough. He created and loves EVERYONE! Christ’s love in each person makes them loveable.

We practice having Christ’s love ability – which is the ability to love no matter what.

Christ’s love is not based on what someone does or does not do. Christ’s love is not about us being deserving.

We practice loving with Christ as our strength because Christ has an endless ability to love! He strengthens us to love the people in our lives regardless of what they do, regardless of their behavior, regardless of how they treat us.

Love is always available as a choice we can make. Love is an action, a way of living, a way of feeling, not just a feeling.

Too often we let the way things “should be” dictate our behavior. We keep score of what the other person has or has not done. We want to the other person to make the first move, apologize first. We think we are punishing the other person by withholding love but when we withhold love we don’t feel love either. Maybe we think we are holding the other person accountable by withholding love but withholding love does not lead to change.

Practicing love changes us and then it changes the recipient of our love. As we love, we create more love. We grow stronger and more courageous, and more beautiful and more resilient as we love.

Love creates the results we want.

Sometimes the loving thing is setting a boundary or not enabling someone… all out of kindness. Love is supportive and encouraging and thoughtful. Love thinks about the other person. Love is patient, gentle, consistent. Love is safe. Love is trust.

Love can change the world.

What if we just decide to LOVE? What if we decided our job was to LOVE people? Not try to change them, or “fix” them, just LOVE them. What if we dropped our expectations and celebrated people for who they are? What if we decided to look for the good in people, see the positives, believe the best about them? What if we decided our work in lives was to change ourselves and LOVE others? What if we decided to commit to LOVE?

Practice unconditional LOVE! Practice showing up in LOVE! Practice having no expectations! Practicing no judgment!

Our only agenda is to LOVE!

As we practice, we will be transformed! And that transformation will have a positive loving ripple effect in the world!

Keep seeking and discovering!