But I want...

This image is great!! It was a picture taken by my friend Lana. She took a picture of my daughter Clara writing the word love. I LOVE it!! So cool and creative. Lately I've been thinking about love, what it really means. I say the word all the time and yet how often do I mean it and live it.

I'm taking the time to think about the famous love chapter. So far I've looked at two phrases, Love never gives up and Love cares more for others than self. Truthfully I could probably camp out on the "Love cares more for others than self" for the rest of the year, maybe even the rest of my life.

The next phrase is
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Well crud...another phrase that I will be working on for the rest of my life. The reality is that in our culture this is tough to live out. Watch one set of commercials and you realize that advertising strives to get you to want what you do not have.

And, I'm thinking that wanting what we don't have just might come quite naturally. If you've ever been around small children, you will notice fairly quickly that a toy does not hold much allure unless someone else has it.

All too often we are green with envy.
All too often we are bitten by the green-eyed monster.
All too often we want what we do not have.

IF it is natural for us to want what we don't have. IF culture screams at us to want what we don't have. Then, we must replace that with something else.

For this week I'm going to watch my words and thoughts. I'm going to notice how many times I say I wish. I wish I had ____. I wish I was more like_____ I wish I could _____. Because really when I say or think those words I'm wanting what I don't have.

What would my life look like if instead I choose to be thankful for who I am and what I have. There is a great book that I have started reading called One Thousand Gifts. This book asserts that when we give thanks, we find ourselves wildly loved by God. In expressing gratitude for the life we already have, we discover the life we've always wanted---a life we can take, give thanks for, and break for others

I want to live fully right where I am in this moment!!!