How’s your attitude today? Does the way you carry yourself reflect the love of Christ? Are you genuinely happy to greet everyone with whom you come into contact? Our attitude towards others is the single biggest way we can demonstrate love as Christ did.
We tend to put so many other things above the importance of a proper attitude. We worry about how many books we’ve read, being fully prepared to have all the right answers, dressing appropriately, having the right friends… it goes on and on. I believe we have a strong tendency to worry so much about executing proper Christianity that we totally lose track of what Christianity actually is meant to be. To live like Christ is to demonstrate love; to follow Jesus is to be loved. If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you no doubt have sensed a trend: I talk about love a lot. Everything Jesus did was done in love; every day was lived in love. His attitude was one of unconditional love. He didn’t care who you were, what you’d done or how you smelled. He just loved, and loved in a way that we struggle to even begin to fathom.
Jesus didn’t worry about how well he executed His mission. He wasn’t interested in pomp or proper form. He led with His attitude and everything else just followed as a result. When we lead with love, it is awfully difficult to fail. No matter what I accomplish in this life, when it’s all said and done, I want to be remembered for love. I want people to remember a kind smile, a willing heart and a gentle reassurance that everything was going to be okay. I want to lead with love, and I want to end there as well.
How about you? Are you leading with love? Does your attitude exude love or something else? How do you want to be remembered? As long as we still have breath, it is up to us to write our epitaph. We alone are in control of our attitude. We alone are responsible for choosing to love. Every day spent not loving others is a day wasted. Who can you love today, tomorrow, right now? There’s a familiar saying, “Be the change you want to see”. I would paraphrase that to “Be the love you wish to receive”. Remember how Christ loves you; remember how faithful and unconditional that love is. Show that same love to everyone you meet. Be remembered for love.