This is a subtle truth: what you love, you are.
What do you love? Do you love your mom and dad? Your dog? Your job? Do you love money, recognition, and comfort? Do you love God? Do you love yourself?
There are a lot of things in life that we say we love. We say we love bacon cheeseburgers and that we love Netflix. We say we love fuzzy blankets, coffee, and bonfires. But is that really love? No- we like those things. So what do we love?
Love is being passionate about and committed to someone or something for the long-haul. It is true that 1 Corinthians 13 gives us an entire list of the characteristics of love, but for today, our definition is going to remain simple: love is what you give your time, attention, and thoughts to. And in that way, what you love is what you are.
For example, for those who love money, their time and attention is given to making more money. And when they reach that goal, they set a new goal and they keep striving for more money. Money isn't bad. I would love to have more than I do, but when a person loves money and they are working round-the-clock to get more and more, it leaves little time for anything else. They become a striver for wealth, because their love for money requires it.
What about family? A person who loves their family deeply will dedicate their time and energy to developing deeper relationships with them. The more they grow close to their family, the more they will cherish their time with them. They will miss them when they aren't around, and they will be most happy when they are all together. The one who loves their family will become a striver for deeper family bonds.
Or take morals and values, for instance. If a person loves truth, honor, and kindness, they will strive for it. They will work hard to develop those qualities that they love and they will start becoming those things. They will be honest, honorable, and kind. But if a person loves themselves, personal comfort, and personal gain, as they strive towards that, they will become prideful, self-seeking, and self-indulging.
You see, the whole point of the quote above is simple: whatever is important to us will drive us and has great bearing on who we will become. When we seek after good things, we will begin to develop good morals and values in our lives (so long as we don't make those good things into idols). But if we seek after the bad, we will start becoming the bad ourselves.
The bible says that the good is this: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, and anything that produces and bears these things (Galatians 5:22-23). It also says that whatever is right, whatever is true, whatever is just, whatever is excellent and praiseworthy, is part of the good too (Philippians 4:8). When we love the good, we give our time to the good. When we give our time to the good, we become the good (through God's grace and help). But be careful, because the same is true for the bad, the evil, and the self-seeking.
What you love, you are. What you love, you become.
I want to love God more and more, so that I am conformed more fully to His image- so that I live more deeply for Him. I want to become the good that God calls me to. How about you?
Follow me on social media
I really love this post! It is so beautifully, thoughtfully written. Love "What you love, you become." - Trish
ReplyDeleteThank you, Trish! That's so sweet!
DeleteI loved the part where you've written how we say we love things when we actually just like them. Very inspirational and thought provoking writing. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks :) That has always been a thing with me.
DeleteAlways good to stop and think what is important... I tried to write what I loved... but there was too much to list! Thanks for the reminder :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Kirsten!
DeleteWow. So powerful. "What you love, you become." I sort of think of that in terms of bad morals. Like, if you love money, you will become greedy. If you love fame, you will become tortured. That kind of thing. Of course it relates to family as well :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chels!
DeleteGreat writing. And by the definition of something that you give your time, attention, and thoughts to, I definitely love blogging! ;)
ReplyDeleteMe too, Becky!
DeleteGreat reflective post. Thank you.
ReplyDelete