Commandment to Love Series: Accepting the present

COMMANDMENT TO LOVE SERIES:

Accepting the present

My commandment to love series over the next 10-12 weeks focuses on how I can love myself in a practical manner this week and keep the commandment to love. In this series I will focus on one idea that we can use in whatever it suits to accomplish a more rounded version of ' as yourself'.  I hope you will journey with me in this series.

 

So my eighth intention for feeling good about myself this week is as follows:

 

 This week I will willingly accept whatever is present.

 

 

How will make my intention tangible?  There are endless ways just as we are all unique.

However, as a starting point, I will first 

·         spend some prayerful reflection time with God to thank God for my past, my present and my future, all of which depend on Him.

·         Re-read my 'positive list about me' each day in my prayer time and add at least one extra positive each day.

·         Affirm each day that I am able to accept whatever is present because it is the loving thing to do for myself.

·         write down any thoughts that I have both positive and negative about accepting the present. What are the challenges for me to achieve this goal? 

·         Seek God's forgiveness in the sacrament of Reconciliation for the times I have not accepted the gift of the present and worried about both past and future. How does the issue of trust impact on me accepting the present?

·         Thank God for the times I have been able to accept the present since it is only possible because God has made it so.

 

Why do I want to do this?  I want to make progress with this eighth intention because: I want to keep the commandment to love more fully. Practicing this commandment means that I love myself as God loves me. Realizing that I need to accept whatever is present is vital as it helps me stay focused on the here and now and stops me from worrying needlessly about the past or future. Jesus has told me in scripture:

 "Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?
 
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?

 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day." (Mt 6:25-34)

 

Let us keep the commandment to love 'as yourself’ by accepting whatever is present.