Good Morning! I hope you rested well and are looking forward to today. You just never know what or who the Lord will put in your path on any given day. So, we shall see what the day holds. Before Viv and I head out to run some errands, I wanted to tell you a story of something that I just remembered. Again, it happened around our table.

We were wrapping up dinner and one child slipped quietly out of their seat and came to my side. There was something to say, but it wasn’t for all to hear. A little back story is this particular child had been bullied for an entire semester. The boy doing the bullying was he himself being bullied by his father. Scripture is pretty clear on how we are to treat our children and the consequences that come, so I’ll leave that there. Anyway, this child quietly says to me, “You know how Evan* says really mean and ugly things to me?”. My response was yes. He then goes on to say, “His words come in and they go into my heart, but they can’t stay because my heart is full of love.” Did you hear that truth? When our hearts are full of God’s love, the words and actions of others cannot find a place to root down in our hearts! Oh they sure do hurt, but they do not have to remain. It is our choice, it is always our choice.

My most favorite verse lately is “We love because He first loved us.” 1John 4:19. So much of this truth was spelled out to me in a recent teaching by Beth Moore. Let His love of you first sink deep and fill your heart. What will come out will amaze you!! Watch how your thoughts, words to others, actions and even social media posts change.

This is something I know to be true and I know this because I have watched it lived out.  Just spend time with someone who genuinely knows they are secure in God’s love for them. Listen to their words. Look in their eyes and notice the spark. I love being around these kind of people!! Honestly, I had always wanted to be one of these people, but that truth was not rooted down in me most of my life. Friend, it is now and will not be pulled up.

*the boys name has been changed