In my home county, the art teachers from our local school district have their students create one of a kind Valentine’s Cards. One of the local art studios displays them for the public and sells them to help support the arts in public school.
Each year, I spend hours looking through all the funny, beautiful, and creative cards to select the perfect ones for people that I love. For me, sharing something created in love, designed to share joy, and that helps pay it forward a bit…is a win-win. It displays the love of great teachers and students. The partnership with the community enables the entire county to give and to share love. The artwork allows students to share their God-given talents. It’s just a beautiful annual act of love on many levels.
February is the month when we celebrate all that is love. We celebrate romantic love. We give thanks for the love of great friends. We rejoice in the unconditional love of God. How can we take all the love we have been given and continue to pay it forward this month?
During a recent zoom meeting, those gathered were looking for ways to reach out and pray with intentionality for specific people and congregations. What better month than February to commit to praying with love for people in our lives? Every single day can begin in quiet and focused pray for someone who has been placed on our path for a reason.
Let’s pray with intent for each other this month. Take your calendar for February and write the name of a different person or a group of people on the calendar square for each day. Pray for them and whatever is going on in their lives. Reach out to that person on the day you have given their name. A quick call to say, “I am thinking about you.” Maybe you can meet for coffee and just catch up with them. One night you might drop off a homecooked meal if their lives are crazy busy. If you are praying for the person who delivers your mail, leave a note for them that day. At the core of your act of love, begin and end in prayer for that person.
I have found that when life gets loud and cold, Christ has given me the tools to quiet it down and warm it up. The tools include his love for me, my love for him, his words, and the power of prayer. When I lean in and try to share that with others, everything seems less difficult and more peaceful. The stress fades as I release ownership and control to God in prayer. He’s got it now. He always has had it, we just forget.
Love God and his people well in the month of February. It will do your heart good.
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 NIV
If you would like to view past editions of A Message from Kim, follow this link: https://sounddistrictnc.org/category/from-district-lay-leader/
If you would like to connect with Kim please do so through her email, k.smith@nccumc.org