Jesus' birth is celebrated December 25, but He was actually born in the Spring around May or June. This is a reminder to me that Abba Father wants to be near to me. This means that I am victorious and that I can rejoice with my brothers and sisters in Christ, not just about my own victories, but about their victories as well. Last month was full of ups and downs. As I reflect back, I connect with Jesus in a new way. I've mainly tried to deal with things with intelligence and effort. I train my friend Og (whom I've blogged about before) and while we train I focus on sets, reps, form, rest time; and that's all great - while training. I tend to carry that mindset with me everywhere, focusing on the 'ingredients.' A lot of my conversations, whether with football players, my friends, or my wife involve focusing on the 'right way' or sticking to the smart strategy - which is great in and of itself. But I'm starting to find the power that Love has to affect things. Jesus always focused on the heart and on the person, whether it was God's heart or the person's heart. Love covers a multitude of things. We can rejoice that we have someone to share time with. We can serve each other in how that person can be supported or assisted. We can encourage each other with kind words. We can focus on the truth of the situation and find new value in ourselves and others. The list goes on. Looking at someone and seeing a person as opposed to an issue (good or bad) will allow us not only to connect with them, but to connect with Jesus. Being a 28 (29 in a few days) year old, married, former/current athlete - I can tend to focus on 'the issue' believing that to be the way to peace through 'the solution'. But focusing on God's infinite grace in that I have His Truth and that I can do life with others, feeling closer to Him by loving is the way to peace. I take this first day of May to reflect on this.