For the last week, I’ve been posting about my summer plans.
If you missed it:
Here is my plan for me: Intentional Summer Living.
Here is my plan for them: The Stay Smart Summer Chart.
And last but not least, here is our plan for us …
Last summer, when we implemented the Summer of Love, our main focus was in learning the LOVE verses in 1 Corinthians 13. So, I wrote out the verses in a way that my kids could understand and process.
Love is patient, {it waits for others without losing it}
love is kind. {it reaches out to do good to others}
It does not envy, {it doesn’t want what it doesn’t have}
it does not boast, {it doesn’t brag or show off to get attention}
it is not proud. {it doesn’t think about itself all the time}
It is not rude, {it doesn’t act improperly or with disrespect}
it its not self-seeking, {it doesn’t always think about itself or say “me first”}
it is not easily angered, {it doesn’t get mad easily or blow up at others}
it keeps no record of wrongs. {it doesn’t keep track of others sins or hold a grudge}
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth. {it doesn’t applaud wrongdoing but supports and cheers on truth}
It always protects, {it looks out for others and bears all things}
always trusts, {it never stops believing}
always hopes, {it always looks for the best}
always perseveres. {it never gives up}
Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
We sat around the dinner table and talked about these verses and our Summer of Love. We talked about how we’ll need to remind each other of Truth and encourage one another along the way. We talked about how parents need to practice love just as much as kids, and how loving this way doesn’t require more from us but less … We don’t love better by trying harder. We love better by yielding more. Less self. More Jesus. That’s how love really happens the Jesus way.
Come the end of the summer, my girls had the verses down. (The boy was getting there.) But looking back, I’ve realized something: Although we talked about the verses, read through them, posted them on the fridge, practiced them, and quizzed each other often, we did very little about actually living them. We talked about LOVE more than we showed it.
Which actually happens a lot.
How often do I pick a verse, write it down, talk about it, practice the words over and over in my head and memorize it … but never really put them into practice? Never really live the thing out? {Too many times, I’m afraid.}
Which is why we’re circling back, and adding Part 2: LOVE DOES.
The truth is that LOVE DOES. It’s an action. A choice. And living a life of love happens on purpose. So this summer, the Rogers family is going to be intentional about showing love to others.
Our LOVE DOES project is not the same as Random Acts of Kindness. Although I love the thought of leaving little blessings here and there, I believe that showing love is more intentional and personal. It’s face to face, which also makes it harder to do.
By thinking through Gary Chapmans’ 5 Love Languages (Words of Affirmation, Giving Gifts, Acts of Service, Physical Touch, Quality Time), we’ll practice showing love in a variety of ways to a variety of people.
In the month of June, we’ll start here:
This is where Truth is practiced first: At home. It’s here, with the people that know us best and love us most, that true character is revealed. Anyone can polish up and perform well out there, but it’s here, behind closed doors, that we wrestle with our flesh the most. So, it’s here that we will practice showing love first.
Each one of the kids will be assigned one week – their own special week – where we’ll shower them with love. But, instead of reverting to spoiling or flattery, we’ll practice showing love in an intentional and personal way.
(Can you imagine your kids looking for ways to serve one another? Or how about hearing one offer unsolicited words of affection to the other across the dinner table? This is my dream. This is what we’re after.)
I believe that if we can teach our kids to see others through the lens of love at home, then we’ll be able to move beyond these doors and practice the same out there too.
What would happen if we all taught our kids {and ourselves for that matter} to pray for eyes to see others the way God sees them, only and always through love? What if we trained our kid’s minds to think towards love by asking: How we can love first? How can we better respond in love? What do you think would be the loving thing to do?
This is how we’ll start. This is where we’ll practice.
In the month of July, we’ll focus here:
This month we will broaden our focus just a little – to aunts, uncles and cousins who live across the street. To Grandparents not far away. To friends and to neighbors.
The kids and I will work together as we plan LOVE DOES down the street. We’ll think of creative and intentional ways to serve our family and neighbors, write letters to friends, deliver treats, give hugs, hold hands and spend loads of quality time together.
In the month of August, we’ll reach out a bit further to those:
For our last 3 remaining weeks of summer, we’ll extend our reach again. This time we’ll look for ways to show LOVE DOES to those that serve us {like the mailman, the garbage man, the local firemen, etc.}, to those in need {make and deliver lunch to the day laborers, make blessing bags for the homeless, etc.} and to the local community at large {gives popsicles at the pool, clean up trash at the park, etc.}.
This summer, our plan is to not only learn love words, but to practice LOVE DOES.
And we’d love for you to join us …
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