1. Love God and Love your neighbor – seems like a good place to start! Jesus said this is the greatest command of all. (Matthew 22:37-38) Loving God means having a relationship with God. Spending time with God. Being accountable to God. And being filled with gratitude for God’s presence in your life. If you’re experiencing a turbulent or uncertain time, start by examining your relationship with God and commit to a practice of connecting.
  2. Love your enemy – Jesus told us to love and pray for our enemy. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Luke 6:31) We learned this in Sunday School – so how are we adults doing?
  3. Don’t repay evil with evil. We find this in Paul’s letter to the Romans and also in 2nd Peter, both authors are talking about the sincerity of our love in action; the goodness and kindness of our love. Romans 12 says: “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all people. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with everyone.” If you’re feeling lost, commit yourself to living peaceably and see if things don’t change.
  4. Welcome everyone. Clearly Jesus showed us this over and over. Welcoming the outsiders is how we welcome Jesus. (“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Matthew 25:35)
  5. Take care of people – again, Jesus showed us over and over what this looks like, and the command to care for people is all throughout our scriptures.
  6. Offer mercy – Jesus healed people and he showed compassion for the marginalized and those who were oppressed, to name just a couple of things. How am I offering this same mercy to others?
  7. When someone is lost and then found, celebrate! We’re told there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous who need no repentance (Luke 15:15).
  8. Pray. Don’t forget to pray. Commune with God. Offer gratitude to God. This alone can help you “change your mind.”
  9. Forgive – When Peter asked Jesus how many times he has to forgive someone Jesus says 70 times 7 (Matthew 18:22). In other words, forgive over and over again. He also taught us to pray for forgiveness for our trespasses – our sins – as we forgive others (Matthew 6:9).
  10. Remember the sabbath. When I am feeling lost it is critical that I take a break. Rest. Regroup. Especially if it means taking a break from the 24 hour news cycle and social media.