February 9 SELFLESS LOVE IS ALWAYS COSTLY.

Affirmation: I look in the mirror and I love who I see…and so does God. 
~~~~~
Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown
Guidepost 8: Cultivating Calm and Stillness and Letting Go of Anxiety as a Lifestyle


CREATE A CALM MAP

Select a photo that represents calm or stillness for you, and map out your calm practice. What kinds of environments and strategies help you cultivate a feeling of calm? 

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

Your journal, pens, pencils, markers, a camera and photo printer, or scissors for cutting out an image, old magazines, watercolors, and double-sided tape or glue. 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To begin our creative exercise for cultivating calm, stillness and letting go of anxiety as a lifestyle, find a picture (online, in your own photo albums or in a magazine) that represents calm or stillness for you. Print out that picture or cut out the image you found. Then, turn to a blank set of facing pages in your journal and tape your picture onto one side. You can also watercolor around your image or decorate your page any way you like.

2. In the margins around your image, answer the following question: What about your picture makes you think of calm and stillness? For example, your reason might be water, quiet and being outside. Determine the words that represent calm and stillness to you, and write them around your image.

3. On the facing page, you will create a "calm map." First, select a background decoration for your page. This could be an image of an old map, a collage or a picture that represents a journey toward calm. Feel free to decorate your page how you like, but make sure you can still write over it.

~~~~~
Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews 
The Certain Decision 

I have a decided heart.
It’s not about what it IS…
It’s about what it can BECOME!

What you decide in your heart will be done and the light of God will shine on your ways. Job 22:28
The Certain Decision for personal success is what fuels your actions from the active decision. The clarity of vision you maintain in your mind is directly proportional to the effectiveness of your actions. A decided heart is unwavering in the face of continual challenges and setbacks and that ensures victory and a lifetime of greater fulfillment.

HOPE, DREAMS, ANTICIPATION…DECIDE.

Scripture:
We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. -John 9:4 (NLT)

~~~~~
Reading for Today
Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

Feb. 9

SELFLESS LOVE IS ALWAYS COSTLY. FEAR CAN'T AFFORD IT, PRIDE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND IT, BUT FRIENDS NEVER FORGET IT.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

ROMANS 5:7-8 

The person who's taught me the most about love in this life has been my wife and partner in crime, Sweet Maria. I've seen her wake up while it's still dark to bake wel­come cookies for friends and stay up late to clean the kitchen after serving friends who showed up unannounced. She has selflessly poured herself out for me and the kids, and she was so patient with us when we didn't appreciate it. At every point, she's shown me grace when I've missed the mark-and that happens pretty often.

 

I've seen from the sidelines how costly love and grace can be. The mom who always has room for one more kid at the sleepover? She doesn't have more energy than the rest of us, but she gives anyway. The friend who remembers your impor­tant meeting and makes it a point to call the moment it's done? The spouse who forgives you for the mistake you made one hundred times? These people have a nat­ural bias toward grace. They forgive when it's costly, not just when it's convenient.

 

Just as we can't wait for inspiration when we're trying to hit a deadline, we can't wait for all the feelings to catch up to us before we give away extravagant amounts of love. Selfless love is always costly. Fear can't afford it, pride doesn't understand it, but friends never forget it. Make the decision to step out in love today. Even if you don't feel like you can afford to leave work early or say yes to an extra kid around the table, you will never regret that you did it.

 

Who do you know who has an extra dose of grace in their lives to give away? How can you show appreciation to them this week? 

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