MOVE FOR LOVE

HAPPY FEBRUARY EVERYBODY! :)

Today, I am not going to talk about Miss Oklahoma USA appearances, and I am not going to talk about glamorous photo shoots.

Today, I want to talk about LOVE.

I want to begin with a brief story.  ...Ok, so my dad has been driving around in a beat up silver mini van for as long as I can remember. Over the years the van has adopted the names "silver bullet" and "the chick magnet." lol

This summer my dad finally bought a new car, although, he rarely drives it. (The chick magnet still makes its daily appearances) Well anyway, last week, my dad decided to drive his new car to grocery store. (Which is literally across the street from our house)  Being the wise man that he is, my dad parks as far back into the parking lot as possible so that his car won't get any nicks and such. (No one parks in the farthest space from the building if they can avoid it) Regardless of all of these precautions however, when my dad walked back out from the grocery store he saw that some Jerk decided he was going to blatantly key the entire passenger side door of my dad's brand new car.

When I came home, I could see the pain in my dad's eyes and it was clear he was hurting. 

He has worked incredibly hard at his profession to love and provide for his family. When he finally treats himself, someone does...THAT.

...And it got me thinking.

There are some really hateful people in this world.  And frankly, that makes me sad.

...I think of all the discrimination, the crime, the pain... and I ask myself, why do so many people choose to hate, ...when they can just as easily choose to LOVE??

Listen friends,

In life, we are ALWAYS going somewhere. We are always acting.

So the statement is not merely: “move”… Because that's already being done.

And the statement is not merely: “act”… Because we're already acting.

The statement needs to be move for...

And the statement needs to be move by...

We all come from diverse backgrounds, with different beliefs... Many of us have dissimilar passions and support different stances... And we may not agree on everything in life or belong to the same political party or whatever it may be... but we can still choose to love each other.

Mother Theresa said, "If you're too busy judging people, you don't have any time to love them..."

So I ask you today, be passionate about moving for love....and watch it not only change your life, but the life of those around you... My encouragement is to move for LOVE today...and every day.

Move for love... For People. Your mom. The mailman. The barista at Starbucks. The lady that cut you off on the highway. The homeless man on the sidewalk. The Haitian orphans. Your waiter. The guy that keyed your car.

Why do we so often live as though we can love God and hate people? We can't. It is hypocritical. And the world doesn't need hypocrites. They need real, live, GENUINE, lovers of God and people. Genuine people who are willing to step outside of themselves and live a life of love...

Love in the small things. They often leave the biggest impact.

Help someone with their groceries.

Pay for the stranger behind you when you go to Starbucks.

Offer to baby-sit for a friend one night for free.

What if we saw someone hungry or in need of clothing and shelter, and desired to meet those needs as if it was US hungry, or in need of clothing and shelter??  --Imagine possessing that kind of love, and imagine the impact that love could make on another person's life.

Real love is selfless.

Real love is constant.

Real love is unfailing.

Real love is compassionate.

Real love will break for a complete stranger.

Real love is praying for those who curse you.

Real love is showing justice and mercy and grace.

Real love is putting the needs of others before your own.

Real love is caring about every single person you ever come in contact with.

-Friend, enemy, acquaintance, or stranger-

So we move for love. But we move for love BY...?

MOVE BY: There is no formula or set way to move for love. I think that’s the beauty of it though really…

Because here's the deal: You can move for love in any and EVERYTHING.

any occupation…

any activity…

any community…

any location…

any situation...

any circumstance...

You will always have a CHOICE to love. You can move for love in the business world. You can move for love by sponsoring a child in Africa.  You can move for love by being crowned Miss USA. ;) You can move for love by staying in your hometown. You can move for love by traveling the world. You can move for love by going to college. You can move for love by being a bus driver. You can move for love by being a doctor. You can move for love by being a big brother. You can move for love by being a mother. You can move for love by serving in a community of faith. You can move for love by engaging in random conversation. You can move for love by giving away your money, time and energy.

So it really doesn't matter HOW you move for love. It is just important you move.

And when we do this...

The world begins to change.

Love becomes a chain reaction.

And we start moving for things that matter.

Love freely.

Forgive with grace.

Be kind and merciful.

And dare to LOVE.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Get up. Go. Do. Act. Live. Be. LOVE.

With LOVE,

P.S. - Hope you like the pictures! I shot these with Aaron Snow about 8 or 9 months ago.  We just drove through Oklahoma and stopped on the side of a random road to shoot in this field! ha... The pictures are low-rez and unedited, but I still love the simplicity of them. :)