A Better Person (09/04/2026)

When I was younger, housekeeping was not a priority. I wouldn’t say I was a slob, but I also wouldn’t have ever expected myself to be featured in a Better Homes and Gardens article. We could say I managed. Then I got married. The first week of my marriage, I learned that my approach was not what my husband was used to or expected. And so, in short order, I made several changes to my approach. Love is like that. It makes us want to be better people.

Love incentivizes us to make changes in ourselves that are good for us but also for the sake of others. The number of ways I have purposedly sought to change my approach to various aspects of life surprises even me. It’s not just housekeeping.  

Years ago, I heard a line in the movie “As Good as It Gets” that speaks to this. When challenged to pay the heroine a compliment, Jack Nicholson’s character responded, “You make me want to be a better man.” I get that. Throughout my life, being with another has motivated me to change.

I caught my grandmother’s peace and intentionally worked to trust the LORD’s goodness and to look for the LORD’s power and presence in my life because of her influence. My children’s unconditional love made me want to be a better mother and spurred me on to change those things in myself that kept me from being the one my children thought I was. The love of a dear friend tenderized my being when she needed me, and I found through prayer the gift of real presence.

Isn’t that what being a disciple is all about? Aren’t we called to bring Christ with us into every moment, every situation, every place we visit and every relationship we have? The love of Christ truly lived is transformative. The early Christian community grew because once non-believers were struck by how Christians loved one another and all they did for one another. What if we were able to do that today, to love one another so boldly that even a near-sighted man on a galloping horse couldn’t miss it? Would it open others to the wonder of life in Christ?

As we go forward, let us strive to love others so genuinely that their hearts and minds are tenderized by the love of Christ lived in their midst. May those we encounter this day and all days be moved to wanting to be better daughters and sons of the LORD, better sisters and brothers to all. And may we continue to do all we can to be the one our LORD created and calls, to be our best for love of the LORD.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.