Love One Another

Wow. Its hard to believe it’s been almost a year since I’ve posted a new entry. I guess I just got to a point where I felt like I had nothing new to say. I’m still not sure I have much new to say…because the overarching message that my heart has been crying out for has been the same for a very, very long time. Love one another!

It seems like such a simple concept. But I look at this world and I just think, “What on earth is going on?!” There seems to be so much finger-pointing, fighting, and anger. Add to that the number of people who are suffering from depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. Then there are those who are sitting behind keys, ready to pounce, looking for someone to say anything that might possibly offend. It’s just crazy out here, ya’ll!

It’s like we don’t even see one another as people anymore. People are annoyances and obstacles and, quite simply, just too much trouble. So many of us resort to introversion then wonder why we’re lonely. We are living in silos where everything revolves around us, our preferences, and our desires. Don’t like someone? Unfriend them. Tired of seeing certain types of news? “Unfollow.” Do things my way, because your way is wrong. Think like I think and do what I do, otherwise, you’re a hater. Sadly…many of the people doing these very things are church-going, Bible-reading, “Christians.”

*Insert heavy, disgusted sigh.*

I just can’t anymore. I simply cannot sit around here and watch the world go on like this. I don’t know what YOU plan to do, but I plan to continue my quest to love me some people. When I see someone hurting, I’m going to put my arm around them and encourage them. I don’t even care if they have a bubble they don’t want me in. I’m coming in anyway. You know why? Because they need a rescue team! When someone is angry, I’ll speak peace and life into the situation. You know why? Because my mom was right when she told me, “It takes two to argue!” When someone is sitting all alone…guess who is going to go right over there and sit by them? Me. And you know what else? I hope you’ll get right up and sit on the other side of them.

I may not change the entire world…or maybe I will. But at the very least, I’m going to change MY world. My life is going to be fuller because I will hear the stories of the people no one sees. I will love on the unlovely and, to them, it will be everything! I will put away petty arguments, comparisons, and insecurities and to someone, each and every day, I am going to be a game-changer. You know why? Because I can.

God gave me life. But not only life…He gave me purpose. I’ve struggled with this word for so long. I’ve tried to fit my heart inside a box and apply a nice, neat label to it. But I can’t. Because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I have a unique calling and purpose that no one else can do the way I can because God wired me extra special to do it. I can bring some folks along with me…and I hope I do! But ultimately, they’re going to do this thing in the unique way God has created them to do it. I won’t be mad that they don’t do it like me. And I certainly won’t be jealous if they do it “better” than me, because they’ll be doing them—and I’ll never be able to top that because I’ll be too busy doing me.

Life is too short for complicated record-keeping. It’s too short to stress out over what other people may think of us. It’s too short to watch people go day in and day out and never have anyone stop and say, “Hey…I see you over there, and I love you!”

This is the way Jesus lived…He preached the Kingdom and He healed people. He told people of a loving Father, but He also told whores they were forgiven and He set captives free. He went out of His way to heal both physical and emotional traumas. He ate with people who were appalling to the rich and the religious. The Bible says, Jesus didn’t come to grant peace and harmony to everyone. He came to set the world on fire.

“…How I long for every heart to be already ablaze with this fiery passion for God!” – Luke 12:49 

Jesus upset the status quo and rebuked the partakers of empty religion that became about status, power, and control. Once Jesus came on the scene, being in right-standing with God was no longer about following rules (it was never meant to be that way anyway!); it was about having a heart for God and His people.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind—and love others as you love yourself. On THAT hangs all the law and the prophets. THIS is our calling…all of us! We have been given the ministry of reconciliation and I pray we begin to take the honor of this high-calling seriously. The world needs us to be real Christ-ians (Christ-followers…like Christ). They need us to SHOW His love—not just talk about it. Because faith without works is dead.

I realize that many of you reading this are already “doing the stuff.” But if you’re at all challenged by this, please, go out of your way for someone else today. It’s not nearly as hard as we think. I mean, don’t be weird about it, and definitely, don’t try to force someone into a conversion-prayer. Just invite Holy Spirit, every day, to lead you as you love on friends, family, coworkers, and strangers. Let them know THEY are LOVED by a most amazing Father! Pray for them. Heck, heal them! Ask God to reveal Himself to them. Encourage them. Tell them how awesome they are.

If all the Christians would start doing this…I believe we really could save the world.

THIS is where my heart has been for the past year. THIS is the stuff that fires me up. We’re all doing the best we know how and we’re all falling just short of the mark. So let’s give a little grace and a lot of love to one another. Cool?! Cool.

So much for not having anything to say. 🙂