Love Others!

Well, I continue to be sidetracked and not doing as much homework as I probably should be doing right now. It's insane for me to look at my schedule and know that I have so many exams before my Fall Break here in a few weeks and then so many writing assignments to complete after as well. I'm dong my best to keep a level head and remember that I can do this all with the strength of my Father. This post, however, is not about feeling swamped as of recent and needing to take more time for myself and alone time with God (although I do need to balance that better throughout the week so I don't feel this way every weekend!)

No, today I'm posting because I have had Luke 6:27-36 stuck in my head ALL week from reading my small group Bible study chapters. I will also post a "Messy Mondays" video by BlimeyCow that goes along with this (yes, they do like sarcasm!)

²⁷ “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹ To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. ³¹ And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
³² “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. ³⁶ Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful."

This is such a wonderful passage to implement into our lives! It's a difficult thing to do some of the time!!!! But it is such a wonderful way to trust our Father and practice being like Christ. He spent time with believers and non-believers (all of whom were sinners, of course) alike! Not only that, but He showed them genuine love!



We often ask why we would need to do such a thing, but in the chapter before: Luke 5:27-32, we have been told good reason why!

²⁷ After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” ²⁸ And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. ³⁰ And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

The truth that just radiates from these verses!!!!! I don't believe there was any ounce of pity or condemnation in these statements that Christ made either. In fact, I believe it was true compassion, love, and desire for others to know the greatest that abounds in following! This does not place us above others by any means. We humble ourselves and love others not out of condemnation or pity, but out of love and heartache. I know my heart aches for those around me that I know who do not know the full glory and wonder that is my God and Father! I pray for others to see His light in me and the greatness He offers us, and I pray to be a catalyst where He wants me to be. I know I don't always do what God asks me to do, but it's a work in progress.

Our speaker at Christian Challenge this week gave us a challenge before we left:

1. Read
2. Pray
3. Say Yes!

We are to read God's word and be in The Word, pray to see where God is working around us, and say "yes, Lord" to whatever He is asking of us. So simple, but so effective! We have such a great opportunity to share Him with others. Be joyful in Him and His promise, permeate this joy in our lives, and let others see Him in us!!!

My Passion & Where Should I Go?

Well, honestly, right now I should be working on homework or something that is productive so I won’t have nearly as much to cram into the next few days in very small amounts of time. But I have been sidetracked by many things all of a sudden of which I find to be more pressing and of a concern to me at the moment. I went from deciding what I would like to make for supper, to making a wall organizer for my classes because I feel I’m not organized correctly for how my brain has been functioning as of recent, and now I am writing this post you are reading. But why is this post so pressing all of a sudden that I’m not working on homework that I so desperately need to do, you ask? Well… let us embark that mystery.

As the majority of my friends know, today is National Suicide Prevention Day, and week as well I learned several minutes ago. Today strikes a personal nerve of mine and I am completely decked out in my TWLOHA garb, and wearing yellow underneath said “garb.” Now, I do realize, however, that me wearing the colors to recognize the cause and supporting the TWLOHA movement by either purchasing their products or donating to them, or even writing the word “love” on my arm DO NOT, in fact, prevent anyone from going through depression, having suicidal thoughts, self-harming, or anything of the sort. In fact, me wearing this all does absolutely nothing other than show that I took time out of my day to make a few clicks on the website and purchase their products and then I decided to wear these said products to show I support the cause.

I realize the money does go toward them working in their area of passion, but I was hit with a thought today that regardless of me wearing these things, I’m not actually doing anything to help others who may be struggling with any of these difficulties. In fact, I’ve been far more focused on my OWN issues as of late that I haven’t even seen the friends around me that have been having a rough couple of days or months, or even years, of their own. This brings me to another thought that I have had as of recent: I am a business student because I would someday like to start my own bakery and share my love of sweets and the joy that food can bring to people and the togetherness that can be found, but I’m not passionate about the actual business major. We keep discussing how we should answer questions of why we are getting a degree in what we are, why we are passionate about it, and how it can help the businesses we are going to be working for. Honestly, I can’t answer that I have a passion for business, or have a good answer to why I am even seeking a degree in business, or even tell someone that is interviewing me why I would be a good addition to their team because I want to help build their business to the best it can be.

No, I have a genuine love for people. I want to help people, I want to love people, I want to support people, and I want to give people the opportunity to find the greatness within themselves so they can in turn love themselves and see what they have to offer. I don’t want to help a business become a big name or even a big financial success, I want an opportunity to give others a benefit of the doubt, and see them for who they truly are where others may shut them out when they hear a small snippet of their past or even current life.

So where can I go from here, what can I do that will encompass my love for people, and what is it that I can do with my life to make a difference? Yes, I have struggled with many things in my past, but I have recently decided to change things and how I view things, and I want to change it. I have such a great opportunity to have a voice for others who may be going through worse things than me, and I have an opportunity to love people who may not know what it is like to be loved for who they are; every trouble, heartache, worry, and problem they have ever had. They are all beautiful to me. Now I know I sound sappy as I’m writing this, but I seem to be going through a huge time in my life of change, acceptance, moving forward, and many many other aspects in my life…. It’s wild, it’s chaotic, it’s a mess, but it’s what I asked for. I have literally prayed to my Heavenly Father, “Lord, I want to be so busy I can’t think about things that are going on in my life. I want to be so busy I am exhausted and feel like I have done something by the end of the day. I want to be so busy that I don’t have all the time to sit and do nothing.” I have gotten what I asked for, and I still find time to fill even when I think I’m so busy I don’t have the time to waste. It’s amazing to say the least. My Father has taken my request to keep me busy and it has been fulfilled, but He has also provided much time in which to fill with these activities I do. I rejoice in this! I can’t believe that I want to be busy, but I enjoy it. I don’t enjoy having to motivate myself to actually do things, but nonetheless, I am joyful.

I’m working on getting closer to my Father than I have been recently, and in doing so I am seeing all the things around me I had been missing previously because I was taking it for granted and focusing on me. So today I continue to ask myself: Where do I want to be in my life, who do I want to share my passion with, and how can I do this all? And I ask you the same: Are you seeking your passion from God or your own passion, and is it what you should be doing?