It’s been said that “every day we are becoming what we love.” What do you love? Whether you realize it or not, you are becoming the thing that you think most about and that most consumes what you choose to place your attention and affections on.

It might be, say for instance, your children or family…if you really love them deeply and devote much of your life to them you might be becoming a great parent or grandparent that is selflessly devoted to helping them become the best person they can be, giving them what you believe is what they need.

But what if my attentive “love” for my children is more selfish and is really, deep down, about how much they will love me back or be thankful for all I’ve done for them… so that it becomes more about me, than them? Then I am becoming a controlling, self-focused person, setting myself up for disappointment and possibly bitterness. My motivation is wrong, and the outcome will not be positive.

The point is, my repeated actions have consequences, and I will become that thing that I ‘do’ (we do what we want and ‘love’ ultimately) over and over. Without realizing it. Without even meaning it. Maybe, without actually even wanting it! So if it’s not good things that I’m doing over and over and over – yikes, what do I do about that??! I’ve got a problem!

“Repeated actions form habits.

Habits form character.

Character is making me who I will be for eternity.”

Who do you want to be? Or more exactly, who do you want to become? Our character – the ‘who’ we are – is constantly changing and growing… into something. It can be better, it can be worse. It’s really your call. But if you are not deliberate about it, you’re just going to become whatever is “happening to you”, and wherever the tide of your life is taking you.

We all have hard times and difficulties in life – some harder and much more difficult than others. And yet, it’s amazing to see how the same situation can affect two people so very differently. You see, because it’s their call. We have a choice in our responses.

Sure some reasons for our responses are genetic, and perhaps the way we were raised, and maybe even partly due to our current body chemistry with hormonal changes and physiological imbalances or sickness, that’s true (which is also why we need to work on those things for the WHOLE life!… but we’ll get to that too). But it’s only when we truly take responsibility for our actions and the way we think that is influencing our actions, that we can begin to make a change and actually see where we need to start heading.

It may take some time, but we all can change! I do believe in a supernatural God, and the power of what He can perform in a life that is beyond what we simply determine to do… but that doesn’t mean we all need 3 mysterious visits in the night from the Spirits of the past, present and future like Scrooge, to change! 🙂 It’s a process for 99.9% of human beings, so take heart, that probably means you.

And as far as I can see with the eyes of faith (and if you don’t have the same eyes of faith I’m not here to judge you… but I might ask you to simply consider the challenge of faith) I believe that process includes the amazing Hand of a loving, creative, all-wise God, Who wants to help you – He is just waiting for you to ask and cooperate with Him.

What a relief that we’re not in this alone. We’re all here together, needing each other. What hope! What promise for a future that you are going to love to become…