Day 73: Homemade Hearts

On Saturday, the girls and I each made you an ornament for the tree. For each of us, I glued two candy canes together in the shape of a heart. Then, we made bows on our candy-cane hearts out of pipe cleaners. Next, we each made a note for you and attached it to our respective bows. Finally, we put hooks on the hearts so we could hang them on the tree.

I like involving our girls in my acts of love. For one, I’m leading them by example, teaching them the proper way to treat you. It remains a fact that whether or not I’m a good example for our children, they follow me. The same goes for you. Their idea of how to treat others is formed (in part) by the way we treat each other. In general, the kind of person a child becomes is due (in part) to the kind of lives his parents lead. In other words, a child’s home makes his heart. In light of this, may God’s grace abound in us so that we can treat each other well. May he forgive us when we fail. (I admit that I fail daily.)  Two, by involving our girls in my acts of love, they themselves practice love for others, selflessness, etc. In both of these ways, then, 365 Acts of Love has the potential to shape our kids’ hearts to be more like Christ’s heart. May God use it for that end.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6)

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Day 72: 24-Hour Fast for Heart Change Redux

One of my goals for 365 Acts of Love is to undergo significant heart change. I want to become a tree that produces good fruit (Mt. 7:17). In order to facilitate this, I fasted for 24 hours on Friday, praying that God would make me a more loving person. Specifically, I prayed that God would change my heart so that I possess the qualities and commit the actions that are characteristic of love:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (I Cor. 13:4-7)

If God forms me into a more loving person, this will have a positive effect on the way I treat you, and thus, on our relationship. May I consistently work toward this end.