And the month of Valentines is upon us…we see flowers, teddy bears, chocolate and decorations with hearts on every corner of every store we walk into. We hear conversations of men and women alike, searching for things to buy, dinners to plan and special days dedicated to spend with their loved one on Valentines Day – the day we all decide that we’re going to show more love than the rest of the days. Due to this singular focus on significant others on that one specific day, it can leave the beginning of February being very busy and un-focused on that same person, and can also leave singles feeling left out.
I propose a change this year. A change based on John 13:34-5 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This passage in John doesn’t give a specific timeline, or even a particular day in which to choose to love one another. But, it does specify loving each other. All the time. What if we decided to dedicate the entire month of February to loving our families, friends and that loved one instead of just one day? What if we were present, showing our love in consistent action.
What if we were PRESENT, showing our love in consistent action, for the whole month of February?
A few years ago I participated in a month of awareness in being present in others lives. It was life-changing. The basic concept is from Lara Casey and she says it best in the quote below:
“Sometimes — most of the time — the greatest gift you can give someone is to be present with them, carrying their burdens just through a listening ear. Being right there in that moment with your friend or loved one (or a stranger in line with you at the grocery store who really needs someone to make them feel loved), listening not just with your ears, but with your heart, you subconsciously are letting them know that they are enough. The gift of someone’s presence feels better and has more of a lasting effect than anything you can wrap in paper.
Being present helps us build stronger friendships and marriages, little by little. Stronger marriages take root and grow strong families… and strong families – with all their ups and downs — have the potential to raise up strong children who have the potential to change the world and start the domino effect of present love again in their own families.” – Lara Casey
This February, I want to focus more on all the loved ones in my life – to truly be present – not just buy flowers and candy. Will you join me? We, the She’s Intentional bloggers, will be documenting our progress of presence with the hashtag of #ShesPresent on social media this month. Please join us by journaling your journey of showing active love through your complete presence this February! We’ll also be featuring various posts weekly – hope to see you on Instagram!