Day 3... What If Love Were Our Only Motive?

Mental:

Today I tried my best to focus on love. Maybe I should have saved that for Friday (Valentine's Day), but I don't want to get into that... It started today by loving my teammates. I truly appreciate all that they do for me and how much they support me in all that I do. The Lord gave me an opportunity by celebrating the success of one of our teammates. She got the position on our team she had been hoping for and I couldn't be more excited for her! 

Russell T. Osguthorpe said,

"When others' needs start to matter more than our own, and when others' successes are more exciting to us than our own, we are beginning to experience the kind of love that our Father in Heaven and our Savior have for us. It is a love without dimension. It has no boundaries, no limitations. It is pure. It is infinite. It is eternal. Oh, how I want to have more of this love for others."

Seeing how happy she was made me feel so much love for her. I've listened to her excitements and her frustrations over the last few weeks, so to see her light up made my day. I know that I will spend my entire life learning to love as God loves, but He gave me a chance for a second to feel that love for someone else and rejoice in their success.

"When love underlies our actions as learners and teachers - as human beings - everything gets better."

I had other experiences today where I was able to feel love for others and it truly did make everything better. 

"The Savior's life on earth was short, but He was always reaching out in love every step of the way. He helped so many while He was on His way to help someone else. He noticed what others needed, reached out to them, and helped them - sometimes in simple ways and other times in miraculous ways. Every miracle He performed, every word He spoke, He did out of love."

Loving others brings peace to my mind and helps me to feel centered and focus on what is most important. If my thoughts can be guided and motivated by love, perhaps I would have more peace in my life.

Spiritual:

A few years ago, I created a study/lesson for me to follow on the prophet Joshua. Oftentimes, I feel like Joshua and greatly need to feel the Lord's love for me. I reread my notes on this and I want to share those scriptures with you. I know that if we can put ourselves in Joshua's shoes, we can see how the Lord can make us strong even though we may be scared and feel weak at times. Joshua had such a pure heart and it was so tender to read how the Lord sent Moses to remind Joshua of his love for him. I want to get to a point in my life where I can ask for more "mountains" as Joshua did (Joshua 14:11-12).

My notes/scriptures of the Lord preparing Joshua

Physical:

I am day 3 with no sugar and I am drinking a XOJO a day with my workouts. This post is focused on Love as my motive and if I apply that in a physical sense, I need to have the same motive in taking care of my body. To show the love for my body, I need to watch what I am putting in it and need to make sure I am respecting it. It makes me sad to see so many people disrespect their bodies. 

**Side Note** Speaking of disrespect, I was reading an article last night about this woman Gloria Steinem and her views on women in today's society. She addressed something that I think more people need to acknowledge. Pornography. It is such a filthy, dirty business that tries to make what is meant to be beautiful, and then distort it to be ugly and disrespectful. Her comment on this made me want to say AMEN!

"Pornography is to women what Fascist literature is to Jews."

What Jewish person would embrace the views and conduct of Fascism?! Hopefully none! Therefore, what respectable woman would embrace this filth that is pornography when it degrades the very being that she is?

To bring it back to love and love for my body, I am grateful for the bodies that we are given and the responsibility we have to love and care for it.