When Creative Faith Co. released their new digital Bible journaling kit \u201cEmbrace Love<\/a>,\u201d not only did the title catch my eye, but seriously, those cute t-shirts!\u00a0 All the heart eyes for these adorable printables!\u00a0 Plus, black and light pink\u2026one of my favorite color combos!<\/p>\n

“Therefore, as God\u2019s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves\u00a0with compassion, kindness, humility,\u00a0gentleness and patience.<\/span>\u00a0^{\u00a0<\/sup>Bear with each other\u00a0and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.<\/span>\u00a0<\/sup>And over all these virtues put on love,\u00a0which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n}

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As I got into the devotional, I lingered on the thought of putting on love as a piece of clothing.\u00a0 At first, it sounded a bit superficial to me.\u00a0 Why would we just want to \u201cput on\u201d love?\u00a0 Don\u2019t we really want to reflect love, not just put it on to wear out during the day?\u00a0 But, then I started thinking of my very favorite articles of clothing.\u00a0 Why were they my favorites and why did I reach for them over and over in a closet packed full of variety?\u00a0 Because those pieces of clothing were a true reflection of me!\u00a0 So, \u201cputting on\u201d love like you put on your favorite t-shirt is really embracing the very best version of yourself\u2026the person God always designed you to be.<\/p>\n

This passage in Colossians is a beautiful illustration of preparing yourself to go out into the world to live your best authentic Christian life.\u00a0 And I think that is a goal that every one of us has at the start of each day.\u00a0 But, what happens?\u00a0 Well, the messy life of this fallen world happens.\u00a0 I love the idea of embracing love.\u00a0 Embracing love in all aspects of my life seems like such a beautifully simple idea, that at the same time is so deeply complicated.\u00a0 What does love look like?\u00a0 What does it look like in my marriage?\u00a0 What does it look like as a mother?\u00a0 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\u2019t have to bring my own personal circus out into public for the next couple of days?<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s 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.\u00a0 As I continue on my faith journey, I find myself focusing on what it means to actively live my faith.\u00a0 And one of the things I am focusing on is acting in love\u2026responding in love, even in the difficult times.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 It is actively living a life of love, even when it is hard, messy, and feels impossible.\u00a0 Because, while we all have regrets, I know that I will never regret acting in LOVE.<\/p>\n

Download your copy of “Embrace Love”\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0today. \u00a0Learn more about Creative Faith Cutables\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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<\/em>I am a Christian, wife, and mother of a beautiful little girl and identical twin boys. \u00a0Originally from Texas, we have moved because of my husband’s job, but you can never quite take the Texas out of the girl! \u00a0I’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. \u00a0Our 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.<\/p>\n