The Interiorista: The love seal

My house is under construction at the moment. A few months back we had a leak in our living room that ruined part of our wood floors. Our home insurance checked the damage and decided to cover the expenses for a new floor. So what once was a disappointment has now become excitement. Brand new, free floors is something worth doing a happy dance for, right?

However, reality is always somewhere different than the fantasy we create in our heads. In my mind I was going to have beautiful floors in 7 days, but like in almost any project you tackle, hiccups come up that lengthen the process and leave you sour inside. Moving every single piece of furniture around, having exposed subfloors, lovely nails, dust everywhere, and workers in your home all day, doesn't sound that glamorous when you find yourself in the midst of the project. And then... a delay happens. A pause. A stop. And you are left with... A MESS! I'm telling you, when this occurs, impatience arises and kindness transitions to pointing fingers.

Yep! That was me a few days ago. I'm not proud of it, friends, but I want to be real. However, I also want to praise God for his patience with me and his teaching hand. During my devotional time, I came along this well-known bible verse:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs." 1 Cor. 13:4-5

Just at the right time! The Holy Spirit was getting a hold of me! Am I truly loving? It's easy to love when things go your way, when people are nice and when you feel good. But what about when things are difficult? Am I loving in word, deed and in truth? Ouch! Guilty! I want my relationships with others to be MARKED BY LOVE. I want to have the kind of love that is slow to anger. A love that is capable to bear with other's imperfections and give them time to change without coming hard on them. A loves that gives without a need for repayment. A love that has the ability to soothe hurt feelings. A love that has good manners. A love that doesn't need all the attention and doesn't make others jealous of what it has. A love that is not touchy nor seeks its own glory. A love that forgives.

LOVE IS WHAT LOVE DOES. All our good intentions go down the drain when our actions and thoughts don't match our words.

Father, help me to see my own imperfections. I mess up all the time. In no way am I better than my neighbor, yet you love me so deeply and have mercy on me. Help me to love others in this way. Help me to display the fruit of your Spirit so others can see YOU in me.

Having a rough week? Having difficulty loving others? You are not alone! We are imperfect people but serve a perfect God that knows our hearts and forgives our mistakes. Tomorrow you and I are given a new opportunity to love well, to marked our interactions with love, to impress a love seal because we are being loved with excellency by a loving God. Do over? Absolutely! Because at the end of the day, I care way more about having a pretty heart than having pretty floors! ;)

                           Love,

                                         Angelica