Being Known By What We Love

This post at (in) courage really hit home today. An excerpt:

Gator Hater! Gator Hater!” the kids yell throughout the van while I scan our surroundings for the cause. There it is: the license plate on the car in front of us reads G8TRH8TR. Gator Hater.

I’ve lived in Georgia long enough to be familiar with the rivals on our southern and western borders. One of the strongest sports rivalries even polarizes Georgians: Georgia Tech vs. the University of Georgia. We transplanted from Arkansas, a place without professional teams where an entire state unites behind the Razorbacks.

Staring at that license plate while the kids chant its message I hold onto one thought: how sad to be defined by what you hate rather than what you love.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. ~John 13:35

I ponder this for days, turning it over and over in my mind: how often do I live like the driver of that car, allowing myself to be defined by the wrong things? 

I too wonder, how often am I defined by what I dislike or disapprove of rather than the One I love? Is my love for my children expressed as often as the things I want them to change? Is my love for my family expressed over and above anything we may disagree about?

Working on loving without reservation this week - praying for His grace to surrender the pride that urges me to express my every thought and feeling about people/situations/the Florida Gators.