Love Them

   People watching, it's always interesting! I think it's some thing we all enjoy doing and for many different reasons. Some enjoy fashion, some enjoy picking out the quirky things they see people doing.. it's fun to see how people react to each other and their environment. Some times we're just plain intrigued with an individual's choice of actions, or dress.. haha! In any case, it's enjoyable to some extent.


  Lately I catch myself people watching a lot more than I used to. But it's not the surface things that concern me (although some can be .. interesting to say the least), I feel a tug to look at people closer. As I watch I can hear the words "Love them." Love them? I don't even know them. We are commanded by Christ himself to love. He doesn't ask us to love only those we know, but to also love those we don't know. I find myself more and more, asking Him to give me eyes like His. 
  Now, I am not a "crier", my tears don't flow easily. Yet, I find myself crying in other ways lately. Watching people living to die and dying to live.. it brings a huge sorrow, and sorrow is uncomfortable for me. Still, I watch and hear "Love them." I can't help but marvel at the wonder of His love.. does my definition of love even remotely match His? I look at these complete strangers and just see a deep deep sorrow, I can't fix that.. but I can offer love. What is love? Maybe it's doing the only thing you are capable of at that given moment.. a smile, a prayer (silent or out loud).. a simple "Hello!" to just acknowledge their existence. I believe by these gestures, we are in some small way allowing His love to shine through us, so that His compassion, His spirit, can reach out to their souls, even without their knowledge. 
  I know the Lord is speaking to my heart, burdening me to move forward in His plans for my life. I have slowly over the years seen answers to prayers for the friends and family of my hometown to know Him. This is just the next step. I truly believe to begin to love people as a whole, is the greatest step we can take in fulfilling our mission here on earth. To take God's word to the ends of the earth, or even the ends of your street.. you must first learn to love. 


And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ -Matthew 25:40

Beautiful Victory!

  I love Easter time.. why? Because it's a time of the year that brings us to a state of reflection, and every year I seem to learn something new about His love for us.This past year has been an extreme stretch of faith and perseverance, and I would be lying if I said I didn't want to walk away from the struggles and give up. But if there's anything I have learned, through struggle and hardship, comes a beautiful victory. This is the part of His love I have learned about this year. We will find beauty in pain, if we keep our eyes on Him. We see it in His sacrifice for us.. out of the struggles and sorrow Christ endured on the cross for us, came the most beautiful and perfect love story ever told! I believe through Him, and in Him we find the victory not just at Easter, but in every day situations. (and not so every day situations)
 If you're in a struggle today, whether it be big or small.. I urge you to keep pushing through and keep fighting. It's not comfortable and it's not easy.. but I assure you to every hardship, there is a beautiful ending.. you just need to get through the ugly part first. The victory is already there on the other side waiting for us, we need only to claim it!

"Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand."- Psalm 20:5-7