Three lessons I’m putting into practice and you can too.

I love the compass as a symbol for guiding the direction of my life. One such compass for me is the Bible. I look at it as a personal growth resource. That might be weird to say, and in fact, my faith journey is what some people call their relationship status, “it’s complicated.”

With that being said, I have been diving more into scripture lately as a guide for living my life.

I want to share three of the most important lessons I’ve learned within the New Testament lately that I’m really trying hard to put into practice daily. Some days I pass with flying colors, and other days I’m a hot mess tripping over myself and failing mightily.

Love one another.

John 13:34-35 (NIV – New International Version) says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In these two verses, “love one another” appears three times. Three times! To emphasize these three words in such close proximity to each other tells us how important it was to Jesus that we love one another.

Unfortunately, sometimes I’m not so great at putting it into practice.

When someone cuts me off in traffic, I’m not feeling so loving toward that person.

When a loved one is telling me a story and I grow impatient, I’m not showing love toward them.

When someone is not doing things the way that I think they should be done, I’m not showing love to them.

It’s in these moments that I need to take Jesus’ words to heart, “love one another.”

So instead of feeling anger toward the person cutting me off in traffic, I get to pray for their safety and understand that there might be a really good reason as to why they are in a rush.

Instead of getting impatient with my loved one’s story, I get to share in whatever they are experiencing and be grateful that I’m the one they feel comfortable sharing it with.

Instead of disagreeing with someone’s decisions, I get to lift them up and support them in the path they are choosing for themselves.

Which leads me to the second lesson…

Uplift others through support and encouragement.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV) says, “Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Think of a time when someone encouraged you in a goal you set for yourself, a decision you made, or a success you experienced.

How did it feel to have someone in your corner cheering you on?

Well, that’s exactly what we are made to do for each other. We are meant to support and encourage each other.

Quite often, while I feel amazing when someone lifts me up, I feel even more so when I’m lifting someone else up.

I feel more exhilarated and excited when I encourage someone who is reaching for a goal, who is making a decision, or who is successful in an endeavor.

It’s this amazing domino effect. When we support and encourage others, we often feel more supported and encouraged. What comes around goes around.

And this leads me to the third lesson…

Find contentment in all circumstances.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV) says, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who give me strength.”

Contentment in a world that is always striving to tell us we need more is tough. Consumerism comes at us from all angles, and it can be exhausting to fight. Whether we are scrolling on social media, playing games on apps that have ads, or are watching something on TV, someone is trying to sell us something all the time.

And it’s not just consumerism. We get anxious in our daily living. We compare ourselves to what others are doing and what they have. We are envious of the vacations, the possessions, and the ways that others are living their lives.

We might cry out in desperation, “Why can’t I be on that tropical vacation, have that new shiny object, or be living that kind of life?”

But when we take a step back, do we really want those things?

I’m going to go out on a limb and say, no. However, when we feel discontentment in our own lives, we often look at the lives of others and covet what they have.

And you know what? Some of those same people are probably coveting the life that you have.

Comparison is the thief of joy, and I dare say that many of us are missing out on the joy in our lives due to discontentment.

When I’m feeling this way, I take time to write down all that I’m grateful for. I just keep writing things down until I can’t write anymore.

When I do this, I am humbled to realize that the life I have is pretty darn great. Fantastic, in fact. I’m willing to bet that you will discover the same thing about your life.

In Conclusion.

There are many lessons to be learned in the New Testament, and that’s why I look at the Bible as a personal growth resource. I find words of wisdom, examples to follow, and ways I can take action.

I like to keep things simple so I narrowed it down to three lessons I’m trying to apply to my own life on a consistent basis.

I feel like if I live by loving one another, lifting up others, and living a life of contentment, my life is going to be enriched beyond measure. And I know yours will be too.