Happy Wednesday! This is the beginning of February, the month of Valentine’s Day. February is the month associated with love. This month I’m issuing a challenge and asking you to do works of love.
What are ‘works of love’? Well, they are just a series of things we do for others to show them how much we love them and how much God loves them. You see, works of love are sacrificial, meaning, you do them without expecting anything in return. They are done solely for the benefit of the other person.
Getting Started
It’s a pretty simple challenge. For the entire month of February, the shortest month of the year, we will do something every day to show someone, anyone, our “works of love”. You can choose one person or many, that is up to you. We will also keep track of it by writing it down in a journal or calendar. This is going to take some planning and doing on your part, but that’s part of the plan.
A Few Examples
Here’s what I’m talking about:
- Winter months are long. Send someone who is homebound a card to cheer them up. Write a memory you have with them in the note.
- Visit an elderly family member that you haven’t seen in a long time. Make the drive!
- Cook up some goodies for the grandkids or the young mom who is trying to juggle everything.
- Clean someone’s house for them. Run the vacuum. Dust the furniture. Wash dishes.
- Offer to drive someone to the doctor or dentist.
- Bring someone coffee or lunch, then sit and eat with them. Ask them about their day. Be genuinely interested in the other person.
- Play cards or boardgames in the evenings with your spouse. Turn off the TV.
You may be saying that you already do these things, and many of us do. But let’s kick it up a notch. Let’s make it a little inconvenient for ourselves so that we have to sacrifice our time, a little money and step outside our comfort zones a bit. We’ve all gotten a little too comfortable. These are ‘works’ of love and this is a ‘challenge’.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I Corinthians 13:7
The funny thing about love is that when you give it out, it comes back to you, sometimes a hundred-fold. There is no better feeling than making someone else’s day. God, who is love, is great like that. This becomes a win-win for everyone.
Journal It
I want to encourage you to journal what you’re doing. Write it all down. Then look back over your month of ‘works of love’ and see what you really enjoyed doing and then make that a habit. Continue even when the month is over. Step outside your comfort zone and love others like nobody’s business because love is what makes the world go round.
If you are going to participate, just leave a comment below: challenge accepted.
I appreciate you. God bless. Thanks for following along. –Barb
