When I started the blog I thought Loving Others would be about giving back. I wanted to highlight organizations doing amazing things so that we could partner in making a difference. I’ve done some of that and will likely continue to share opportunities for impact. But lately, I’ve been thinking maybe Loving Others should be about, well…learning to love others. Not the noun love that describes the warm fuzzy feeling, but the verb love that requires action.

Perhaps what triggered this line of thinking are the wonderful Facebook posts I wake up to each morning expressing our gratitude! Oh my goodness, we are all so blessed! We are thankful for our families, our friends, our jobs, our peace of mind, and most especially our faith. I have to tell you it is a welcome change from the rhetoric and negativity from this past political season.  (Indeed, one would question if we are the same people – but that’s a different blog.)

It has me wondering, what are we doing to express our gratitude? Is a Facebook post shared with friends enough? What does gratitude even mean? Most of us have used the word since we were children. In fact, I used to talk to Brandon all the time about an “attitude of gratitude”. Primarily that lesson was about learning to be grateful for the kindness of others and expressing that by saying thank you. But, as I look at the dictionary now, I realize that is really only half the equation.

Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Hmm…that means we can’t just say we’re grateful; we’ve got to live it. Gratitude is about our attitude and action. The surest way you know a person is truly grateful for what God has done for them is by what they are doing for others.

As we enjoy the holidays with family and friends I challenge us to go beyond the talking and start living our gratitude by loving others. Not just for the obvious, but also for what we all too often take for granted. You know, the people that make our life easier but we scarcely even notice as we go throughout our day.

• The janitor who empties the trash in our office.
• The bagger who packs our groceries.
• The attendant cleaning the bathroom at the airport or store.
• The people, who mow our lawns, deliver our mail and pick up our trash.

It’s amazing how we go through life seeing people, and yet never really see them. We know they’re there, but in an off hand sort of way – like the picture hanging on our living room wall that we rarely stop to look at or appreciate. In the busyness of our lives, we sometimes allow people to become just part of the landscape.

For a few days let’s forget about random acts of kindness and instead be intentional in our gratitude. One of the greatest gifts we can give a person is to let them know “I see you and appreciate you.” Let’s stop with the drive-by thank you and really take a moment to show love and concern for those we’ve taken for granted. Adding a monetary tip to that would be nice, but I suspect that the investment of your time and genuine gratitude will have a meaningful impact all on its own.

It’s such a little thing on our part to expand our field of vision to see beyond ourselves, but to the person we’re acknowledging it may make a world of difference. After all, at the end of the day don’t we all just want to be seen, appreciated and loved?

Loving on Me as I Love You!