These past couple of years have been filled with so much hate and violence. There is so much that divides our country and even friends and family. Valentine's Day, a day to think about and show love, passed just a couple days ago. It made me think that we shouldn't just have one day to think about and show love, but that we could make this year, the year we choose love.

Where do we start; what would that look like? We start by choosing to implement little things in our lives that sow seeds of love. The only way we are ever going to get to a place of peace and unity in our country and in our families is by each individual deciding to take the challenge to love. These are a few of the things that I have decided to implement in taking the challenge to make this the year of love.

1. Listen more instead of feeling like I always have to be heard. True love listens.
2. Help others reach their goals.
3. Get excited about other people's likes and dislikes and what they are excited about instead of focusing on my needs being met. That's what kindness is.
4. Always focus on what I can give in every situation instead of what I can get.
5. Encourage one person every day; whether, it's a text, a call, a card, or a cookie.
6. Make what's important to the people in my life, important to me.

The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is selfishness, for that is where hate and violence and fighting comes from. Selfishness is always having to have everything our way. Love is always focusing on the other person instead of ourselves. It's time to start ripping out the weeds of selfishness and hate in each of our hearts and to start planting seeds of love in the lives of others.

Happy Valentine's Year!

I wish I could take credit for this article, but these ideas came from 1Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) and many other verses.

Photo by: Debbie Hudson on Unsplash