Love • Goal • Desire

"If i can enjoy a joke at the expense of another, if i can in anyway slight another in conversation or even in thought, then i know nothing of calvary love"

Today, I got to work early and my boss was absent. However, her amazing secretary wasn't sure on what I was supposed to do so she gave me two books to read. They were "Becoming a woman who loves and Becoming a woman of excellence. They were both written by a Christian author.

I was glad I read them because I was able to reflect on how I live my life and how I impact those around me. One of my favorite quote from the book was " Right thinking, right behavior lead to right feelings." To me, our emotions are consequences of our thinking and actions. It is necessary that we discipline our minds and wills.

"I ain't what i ought to be, but i ain't what i used to be"

That quote got me thinking about the goals I set and my desire to want something done even though it took me a while to differentiate them.

If I were to lose weight, that would be a legitimate goal because I am solely responsible for what i eat and whether i exercise or not. If I want a friend or loved one to loose weight, that can only be my desire because i cannot control what he or she eats or when he or she exercises. There is nothing wrong with desire but it is very important to discern between goals and desires in our life. A goal is something that i can be totally responsible for...i do not have to depend on a friend to get it accomplished.  

For instance, If i were in a relationship: i cannot have a goal of having a good relationship with my boyfriend because it involves someone else.  Don't get me wrong.. it can be a desire and i can pray and cooperate in the relationship to make it work. A goal for me in a relationship will be to be a good girlfriend because it is a gradual process that i can work on and control.

One being an excellent woman/man doesn't really depend on anyone else...rather it depends on deciding that you will be a child of God, who fears him and one who is free to love and serve others.

Remember, if we do not show love to one another, the world has a right to question whether Christianity is true.