"Maybe God is calling you tonight to tell me something that might save my life"
~Sidewalk Prophets, "Save My Life"
People. We see them everyday. At work, at school, at the store, at a restaurant, at church, and anywhere else we may go. Some of these people we know, others we don't and may never will. Many of these people are Christian, others are not. Of those that aren't, some are of a different religion, others don't believe in anything, and others don't know what to believe, but desire to. What makes us all the same is that we are all human and all have a desire to be loved. No matter who we are and where we come from, our lives will have joy and sorrow, gains and losses, times when the future stretches before us like a blank canvas, and times it may not seem like there is a future. In the good times, we rejoice in all that has happened to bring us joy, but when hard times come, we just want to know that there are people that care about us. Many of us are blessed to have family and friends that support us through whatever we may be going through, but unfortunately there are people who don't have this luxury. For these people, even the smallest of kind gestures from a complete stranger can mean the world to them.
Some people have the resources to produce such grand gestures as paying off student loans or providing food for someone living in poverty, but even those of us who are not quite as affluent can still make a difference. Even something as small as asking someone how they are doing, smiling at them or letting them move ahead of you in line can show that person that even though you don't know them, you care about them. In most people, even the worst mood can be turned around with one simple act of kindness.
We also should treat others with respect and give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe that person that cut you off in traffic is rushing to the hospital because they just found out a loved one is injured or dying. Maybe that gruff person tapping their fingers in impatience just got fired and has no clue how they're going to tell their spouse or support their family. I'm sure many of you have gotten aggravated with people not because of what they did, but because of something else going on in your life that you were having trouble dealing with. Anger is often a much easier emotion to deal with than others because it's an emotion we feel we have control over. So when someone's reacting in annoyance or anger, show them love if you can, and pray for them if you can't.
We also need to continuously show love to others in the family of faith. Speaking from experience, just because someone seems to have it all together, doesn't mean they do. Many people mask their true feelings because they're afraid of how people would react if they knew the truth. They may be silently asking the questions "Would it set me free, if I dared to let you see the truth behind the person that you imagine me to be? Would your arms be open, or would you walk away? Would the love of Jesus be enough to make you stay?" (Casting Crowns, "Stained Glass Masquerade") The best thing we can do for these people is live our lives in such a way that they know the answer to all of these questions is a resounding "Yes!" God calls us to be a light to the whole world, even, and maybe especially, to those who have seen His light, but are finding their own to be flickering.
Songs mentioned in this post:
~Sidewalk Prophets, "Save My Life"
People. We see them everyday. At work, at school, at the store, at a restaurant, at church, and anywhere else we may go. Some of these people we know, others we don't and may never will. Many of these people are Christian, others are not. Of those that aren't, some are of a different religion, others don't believe in anything, and others don't know what to believe, but desire to. What makes us all the same is that we are all human and all have a desire to be loved. No matter who we are and where we come from, our lives will have joy and sorrow, gains and losses, times when the future stretches before us like a blank canvas, and times it may not seem like there is a future. In the good times, we rejoice in all that has happened to bring us joy, but when hard times come, we just want to know that there are people that care about us. Many of us are blessed to have family and friends that support us through whatever we may be going through, but unfortunately there are people who don't have this luxury. For these people, even the smallest of kind gestures from a complete stranger can mean the world to them.
Some people have the resources to produce such grand gestures as paying off student loans or providing food for someone living in poverty, but even those of us who are not quite as affluent can still make a difference. Even something as small as asking someone how they are doing, smiling at them or letting them move ahead of you in line can show that person that even though you don't know them, you care about them. In most people, even the worst mood can be turned around with one simple act of kindness.
We also should treat others with respect and give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe that person that cut you off in traffic is rushing to the hospital because they just found out a loved one is injured or dying. Maybe that gruff person tapping their fingers in impatience just got fired and has no clue how they're going to tell their spouse or support their family. I'm sure many of you have gotten aggravated with people not because of what they did, but because of something else going on in your life that you were having trouble dealing with. Anger is often a much easier emotion to deal with than others because it's an emotion we feel we have control over. So when someone's reacting in annoyance or anger, show them love if you can, and pray for them if you can't.
We also need to continuously show love to others in the family of faith. Speaking from experience, just because someone seems to have it all together, doesn't mean they do. Many people mask their true feelings because they're afraid of how people would react if they knew the truth. They may be silently asking the questions "Would it set me free, if I dared to let you see the truth behind the person that you imagine me to be? Would your arms be open, or would you walk away? Would the love of Jesus be enough to make you stay?" (Casting Crowns, "Stained Glass Masquerade") The best thing we can do for these people is live our lives in such a way that they know the answer to all of these questions is a resounding "Yes!" God calls us to be a light to the whole world, even, and maybe especially, to those who have seen His light, but are finding their own to be flickering.
Songs mentioned in this post:
Sidewalk Prophets-"Save My Life"
Casting Crowns-"Stained Glass Masquerade"
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