No, It's Not Brain Surgery. IT'S LOVE! TAKE THE LOVE CHALLENGE!

 
As I was sitting in church yesterday morning, Pastor Dale O'Shields' message resonated with every single person in the room as he spoke about the importance of love, friendship, and relationships. He reminded us that our most important relationship should be our relationship with God. He reminded us of the fact that loving God first and foremost will ensure the order of everything else in life falling into place. He also reminded us that love is a verb, and we should live to love others: "Love is not about what I feel, it's about what I do. It's not about what I get, it's about what I give."

As Pastor Dale was wrapping up his sermon, he left us with 14 characteristics of true love and challenged us to focus on one of these characteristics, each day, for the next 14 days. I accepted his challenge and encourage ALL OF YOU to join me in this spiritual, growth, and wellness exercise: The Love Challenge. Each day, for the next 14 days, we're looking at, thinking about, and praying about the 14 characteristics of love described in 1 Corinthians 13. Today's challenge is PATIENCE!

Having the capacity to accept or tolerate change, delay or other things we cannot control without anger or frustration is often hard to do. We must remember that we are commanded to love like God loves, and God's love is patient. Be reminded through scripture to ask God for "the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." Patience will improve relationships tremendously, so join me in practicing this characteristic today. Especially today, practice patience with your spouses, friends, co-workers, children, and even strangers. 

Here are the 14 characteristics of true love from Pastor Dale O'Shields. Love is:
1. Patient
2. Kind
3. Doesn’t envy
4. Doesn’t boast
5. Isn’t proud
6. Doesn’t dishonor
​7. Isn’t self-seeking
8. Isn’t angered easily
9. Doesn’t “record-keep” wrongs
10. Doesn’t delight in evil
11. Values authenticity
12. Always protects
13. Always trusts
​14. Always perseveres.
Check in tomorrow for the Love Challenge focus for day two! GOD luck!!
For additional information about Pastor Dale's challenge, visit the Redeemer website.