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How often do we hear those “becoming” admonitions? We will become what we eat, so we better pay attention to our nutritional intake. Or we will become what we think about, so we better watch where our thoughts are leading us. Or we will become like our friends and their habits will become our habits, so we better choose our companions wisely. Even the Bible claims a similar prediction in terms of what we cherish most. “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Matthew 6:21). All of the above are worth contemplating. And if we decide some of these trends need tweaking, now is always a good time to make changes.
In this month of Valentine's sentiment, perhaps we can add a romantic twist to these prophecies. We will become what we love. Narrowing down the many facets of love in our lives can seem like a daunting exercise in itself. Is there an efficient way to discover what we love most? Yes, there is. Imagine we accidentally find $200 in cash. Further, let's pretend that we have no debts or bills to pay. How would we spend free money? Whatever springs to mind first is very likely something we love or desire a lot. If we simply bank-deposit the money, we love financial security. If we spend it on books, we love reading. If we spend it on lottery tickets, we love risk-taking and beating the odds. If we donate it to charity, we love philanthropic causes. Whatever the destination of our found money is, we can be sure this ranks high on our natural love list.
The supernatural question might be whether the recipient of our love is bringing us closer to God or moving us farther apart? And while we're at it, shouldn't we ask ourselves where on our love list does God appear? Is God closer to the top, middle, or bottom of the list? When we think of love, does God even come to mind at all? Two people in love make time to talk, text, email or just spend time with one another. How many minutes of our typical day do we spend communicating with God? If we are destined to become what we love, shouldn't we ask ourselves which people, places or things we love most and how these loves impact our communion with God and neighbor?
For Holy Homework: Let's write the amount $200 on a notecard and during February post it where we will see it every day. For example, we can attach it to the side of the computer screen or the side of a coffee maker or on the fridge or on the microwave or the dashboard of the car or at the top of a mirror, etc. And each time we read it, let's ask ourselves, “Which love in my life am I becoming?”
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