I Resolve

While I was home for Christmas break, I got the opportunity to write an article for Meridian Point's Core Magazine. If you haven't seen our Magazine, you should go find one! Nate our does a Great job of putting the magazine together and making everything look really nice. This round all the articles have something to do with our current sermon series, I Resolve.I thought since I haven't blogged in a while I would just share the article I wrote.

I love beginnings. It can be the beginning of a new school year or a new season, it can be the beginning of something as simple as the new season of Psych or as big as a new born life, but most of all I love the beginning of a new year. The beginning of a new year has a feeling to it that guarantees change. It brings the desire to want something new and I, like most people, on New Year Eve thought over the last year. I remembered all the memories I made. I remembered the changes that occurred in my family, within my friends and in my life. It was a big year. So when this New year rolled around I felt extremely blessed. God is moving in my life and allowing me to see areas that I need to grow, steps I need to take to be more like him.
After spending less than a day with my little brother I was challenged in one way I could grow in my life. If you’ve spent more than five minutes with my little brother Darius, you would find out that he has a heart that is filled with compassion and a love for people. He loves being with his friends and loves when there are people around. He doesn’t care who you are, or what you look like as long as he knows your name, He’ll love you, for who you are. His prayers get longer every time he meets someone new, because he automatically adds them to his prayer list. He simply thanks God for the people in his life. He will apologize over and over again if he feels like he’s hurt you even a little bit and at four years old, my little brother has a better understanding than I of what it means to care for other people. He loves them for who they are and I believe God gave this little boy his heart for a reason. Darius at four year old has become an example to me, showing me how I can love people better. So after thinking hard about how I could allow God to shape my life even more this year, I have resolved to have a better understanding and acceptance of what it looks like to love people the way Jesus would. I want to care for other people’s needs over my own.

So at the beginning of this year I am completely humbled by God and by the example my four year old little brother can be to me. And because of this and the beginning of this new year is challenging me to take small steps to see people, and love people more like Jesus would. I want to really love the people around me. Caring more about their needs over my own. In the Bible God has commanded me time and time again to love. So, if I love people as God has commanded me to love them, God’s love will be shown through me in ways I never could have imagined. He will use me in ways I could never have dreamed of. And in the end if I choose to give my all to loving people the way Christ would love them, God’s love is bound to be shown to me a hundred more times than I ever would have expected. So this year I resole to love people more. I realize this won’t always be the easiest thing. God will challenge me and push me so that I grow. I’m ready to jump head first into this new Year realizing that there will always be a need for change in order to become more like Christ but the small steps are needed to grow and growing is one of the biggest steps to achieving what God has in store for us and the small steps help us reach those impossible I resolve dreams.