Practicing Love

In his latest book (The Great Spiritual Migration: How The World’s Largest Religion Is Seeking A Better Way To Be Christian), Brian McLaren suggests that we need to learn the practical skills necessary to love well, starting with those closest to us. When those skills are practiced at home they can then be put to use out in the world with others.

His is an extensive list, and to my mind, there isn’t one that isn’t worth the effort. And, because the list is so expansive it might feel a little daunting to you as it does to me, so rather than take it all on at once, pick a few that beckon to you. Or maybe better yet, ask those near and dear to you which ones they would love to see you practice, which btw is practicing skills 7, 17, and 18.

  1. Common Courtesies

  2. Gratitude

  3. Admitting Weaknesses & Failures

  4. Self-Reporting Emotions

  5. Expressing Hurt & Disappointment

  6. Confronting & Forgiving

  7. Asking For Help

  8. Differing Graciously

  9. Surfacing & Negotiating Competing Desires

  10. Taking The First Step To Resolve Conflict

  11. Upholding Wise Boundaries

  12. Saying Yes & No

  13. Winning & Losing Graciously

  14. Creating Win-Win Outcomes

  15. Speaking Truth In Love

  16. Speaking Truth To Power

  17. Asking Good Questions

  18. Requesting Feedback

  19. Expressing Affection

  20. Opening One’s Heart

  21. Giving Gifts

  22. Seeking Wise Counsel

What better gift to give to ourselves, and to those we love this holiday season, than to diligently, humbly, and intentionally practice the skills of love. Love is, after all, the gift that keeps on giving.

Photo by Ylanite Koppens from Pexels

This And That

“What we focus on determines what we miss.”

Brian McLaren

Life is a mixture of this and that, all at the same time.

Good and bad, scary and brave, sacred and profane, grief and grace, hope and despair, difficult and easy, heartache and happiness, disappointment and surprise, independence and partnership, alone and together, rising and falling, strength and weakness, fierce and fragile, love and loss, life and death, constancy and change, faith and doubt.

It’s all happening all around us all of the time, and if we don’t widen our gaze, we’ll miss out, because when we only focus on this, we can’t see that.

Photo by Kush Kaushik from Pexels

Photo by Kush Kaushik from Pexels