Choosing to Walk in Love
By: Anne Peterson And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. - Ephesians 5:2 All of us have choices. Our choices determine our actions. God tells us we can choose to walk in love. And when we make that choice, our other choices follow suit. There have been times in my marriage when I didn't walk in love. I reacted instead of responding. Reacting doesn't take much thought. One harsh word can elicit another. But when I've made the decision to walk in love, my actions will reflect it. Jesus walked in love. Everything he did was out of love. He answered people with grace, no matter what was going on. And when he needed time away from people, he drew away from the people, and went to talk to his Father. That's exactly what we need to do when our emotions are too close to the surface. When we are impatient, our words are shorter, more intense. But when we choose to walk in love, we are in tune with God. And he helps our words to be gracious. Then those we are interacting with feel valued. I confess. At times I've been short with my husband, Mike. Sometimes rude. And that is not a fragrance at all, it's a stench. So what do we do when we know our words will not be kind? We stop. Breathe in and out. And ask God to give us his words. God tells us in Proverbs 3: 6, "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct our paths." When God directs our paths, our words will lift someone up, instead of tearing them down. And if you find yourself feeling irritable toward your spouse, it could mean your emotional closet is full. Maybe you are storing things that need to be sorted out and forgiven. It's happened to me. 
One time, Mike asked me, "Do you remember that time I said ______? And I had to tell him, "No, I don't remember." | 
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