The year of Love

For the last several years I've prayed for a word of the year. It's not a limit on God to teach me one thing but a challenge for me to see what He is teaching me in one area. I pick an area I need to grow in,  He has taught me so much each time I've done this. I could sum up what He taught me in a million words as He is so faithful to grow us if we ask Him too... but in 2014 I wanted to grow in Love. 

It's not that I didn't love, or I didn't want to love. It's that I knew that so much of my heart wasn't filled with a love that I wanted it to be filled with, a love like Christ. 

In 2014 God challenged what I thought love was. 

He challenged me to love my patients in a radical way. To love them the way Christ would, but also challenged me to see Christ in each of them so that I could see that as I serve and love my patient I am serving our Lord. This didn't hit me at once, but slowly permeated me. I found myself holding the hand of many, having them bear their souls to me, and being challenged to look past whatever they were saying and just love them. Just encourage them. At times that was challenging as not all our charitable, and at times I argued with God "are you sure you want me to say that... do that?" And yet He was faithful to reassure me. It was amazing and as I did I found that that He produced such joy in my heart. 

He challenged me to love my husband more. To trust him more and to grow in my patience. Patience doesn't come easy for me, and all sorts of circumstances have challenged me to make that harder but I consistently prayed for my heart and for my husband in 2014 and I found He did grow me so much. I know that part of this growth has been because of the physical encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist, but I will explained that more in a bit. 

He challenged me to love people that at times felt unlovable. I find it is hardest to do this with people I know well, but I know that no one is unlovable, all are God's handy work and beautiful even if I struggle to see the beauty. I felt convicted when I knew my heart wasn't what it should be toward a given person or situation and yet I know that that feeling of conviction was God loving me enough to grow me. Such a report is challenging but so helpful. 

He's shown me that He loves me in so many ways. It's not only in the ways where He works out something in some miraculous way, or does what I want, but sometimes putting me somewhere challenging is His way of loving me to grow my faith, and help me grow my dependence on Him. I never wanted to look at it that way because it seemed difficult.

Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist has been amazing. Seeing Him love me to sacrifice His life for me, and then loves me enough to never leave me is an incredible miracle that is the ultimate example of love. I was confirmed in 2014 and got to partake for the first time. It's amazing and definitely a huge testament of love. I'm so thankful for it.

For 2015 I'm letting God continue to teach me and help me to TRANSCEND or : Go beyond the limits. Beyond the limits of what I think I know or can do, and beyond the barriers that I've set for myself. 

What is your word of the year friends?

<3

Anita