The entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” GALATIANS 5:14
Do you remember your New Year’s resolutions? I think they’re terrific because they get people inspired to move toward the person they want to be. Later in January, I go around asking people if they made any resolutions—it gives you a window into what their hopes and dreams are.
One predictable recurring theme is friends who want to go the gym on a regular basis. They say their gyms are like ghost towns in November and December, then January hits and they get as busy as a New York City subway. They also say the crowds begin to trickle down as the month goes on, and by February they’re back to the familiar faces they see throughout the year.
If only we could make our commitments surefire bets, right? Here’s the thing. Plans are a toss-up: sometimes they work out and sometimes they wither. Love always works. What if we simply commit to love?
Don’t plan on loving more or make a resolution to do it the way people hope to go to the gym. Just do it. No plan, no agenda. Just Jesus leaking out through you into the world. Our lives are a series of positive experiences and more than a few negative ones.
Make your life about people and you won’t regret it. There’s no gym to join, no pounds to lose. Our hours and minutes are what make up our lives, and God never intended relationships to be an afterthought. Make your life about people. We won’t give our friends the love they deserve if we try to work them in when our lives slow down. We’ll wake up one day and realize we never really got to know the people we bump into every day, even if they’re the ones who sit across the dinner table from us each night. If you have to choose between your plans and your loved ones, go with the sure thing and choose love.
B. G.
Intentional Faith 