This past Saturday was my daughter’s first high school Homecoming dance. I don’t know if it is because of our recent experience of running from the gun, recognizing how fast time flies, and/or feeling for people like the Guttenbergs and Gabby Petito’s family (and so many families like them) who never get to see their little girls again, but I’ve been feeling super sentimental through this entire experience.
If you know my writings, you know that my journey is about figuring out how to live life from a loving place. It is at the heart of everything I do. Yet as a mom, I’m not above the struggle of the re-surfacing of old wounds and projecting those on my kids. My kids are my drive for living life from a loving place, and they are the ones who help me see the importance of staying on this path. I’m so incredibly grateful to be a mom and to have the opportunity keep doing better for them and myself as I grow right along side of them on this journey. As I’ve written and spoken about ample times, the moment I found the definition of love and truly saw it as the definition was the beginning of a series of life-altering changes in thought, belief, and behavior patterns that keep on offering me the most amazing gifts and blessings.
The definition (in different versions) is posted multiple places in my room as a reminder (that I’m don’t always remember to follow) to project love. Following this definition has changed all my relationships for the better and has given me the strength and courage to remove myself from relationships that didn’t have this definition at the core. Having this reminder helps me be accountable and responsible for my thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors whether I’m operating from a place of love or a place of fear. These two versions of Corinthians 13.4-13.7 are just different enough to make sure I don’t rationalize my thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors to confuse love with fear. Even if I can’t see it in the moment, I have the opportunity to hold myself accountable when I CAN come back in a loving way:
1 Corinthians 13.4-13.7, NIV Study Bible (1985)
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
“Love is patient, love is kind; Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; It is not irritable or resentful; It does not rejoice in Wrongdoing, But rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, Hopes all things, endures all things.”
First Corinthians 13.4-13.7, Harper Collins Study Bible (2006)
I just can’t help but be grateful for my kids, because without them, I would have never known that love could be more than what I had allowed myself to experience up until that point.
At this moment, I feel nothing but love in my heart and it is the most wonderful feeling—pure AWE. My hope is that I will be able to carry this feeling with me as I know I will need it in my next moment where I will have to choose to respond to my kids from love or react out of fear.
With Love and Gratitude,
Rachael Wolff, Author of Letters from a Better Me
About this post:
This piece started as a Facebook post on my personal page. I didn’t see what I wrote coming, but as I wrote I felt this need to keep sharing. There is a lot going on in the world right now and sometimes, I need the reminder project love in my daily life. I thought maybe others might too. For anyone who needs it, I hope this helps. Thank you for reading. If you want to see more FromALovingPlace.com, you can explore the page and/or subscribe with your email here:
