Guest Post: Acting in Love with Elisa
When Creative Faith Co. released their new digital Bible journaling kit “Embrace Love,” not only did the title catch my eye, but seriously, those cute t-shirts! All the heart eyes for these adorable printables! Plus, black and light pink…one of my favorite color combos!
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14
As I got into the devotional, I lingered on the thought of putting on love as a piece of clothing. At first, it sounded a bit superficial to me. Why would we just want to “put on” love? Don’t we really want to reflect love, not just put it on to wear out during the day? But, then I started thinking of my very favorite articles of clothing. Why were they my favorites and why did I reach for them over and over in a closet packed full of variety? Because those pieces of clothing were a true reflection of me! So, “putting on” love like you put on your favorite t-shirt is really embracing the very best version of yourself…the person God always designed you to be.
This passage in Colossians is a beautiful illustration of preparing yourself to go out into the world to live your best authentic Christian life. And I think that is a goal that every one of us has at the start of each day. But, what happens? Well, the messy life of this fallen world happens. I love the idea of embracing love. Embracing love in all aspects of my life seems like such a beautifully simple idea, that at the same time is so deeply complicated. What does love look like? What does it look like in my marriage? What does it look like as a mother? What does it look like when I am pacing through a grocery store with two screaming toddlers, just trying to grab enough groceries so that I don’t have to bring my own personal circus out into public for the next couple of days?
Here’s the truth, we can have every intention of clothing ourselves with love, but often times the way we respond to difficult situations gives us away. As I continue on my faith journey, I find myself focusing on what it means to actively live my faith. And one of the things I am focusing on is acting in love…responding in love, even in the difficult times. Being faithful is about so much more than just showing up to church every Sunday, volunteering when asked, or checking the boxes of Christian life. It is actively living a life of love, even when it is hard, messy, and feels impossible. Because, while we all have regrets, I know that I will never regret acting in LOVE.
Download your copy of “Embrace Love” here today. Learn more about Creative Faith Cutables here.
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I am a Christian, wife, and mother of a beautiful little girl and identical twin boys. Originally from Texas, we have moved because of my husband’s job, but you can never quite take the Texas out of the girl! I’ve been bible journaling for just over two years, and it has sparked such incredible growth in my spiritual life that I just can not imagine my life without it. Our lives are filled with many activities, but my very favorite times are cuddling with my kids, crafting in my creative space, and watching sports with my husband.
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