Skeletons

This Halloween has me thinking a lot about skeletons. I tutor local kids in the area (one of the many hats I wear) and many of them have fun Halloween decorations in their yard for this festive season. I’m often met by bats, pumpkins, and yes, lots of skeletons each time I walk their driveways. If your like me, you probably walk or drive past these decorations each and every year without a second thought.

However, as believers, I wonder how many times we walk or drive by skeletons each and every day without a second thought. There are myriads of lost people that we come into contact with each and every day. Skeletons. These men and women meet us at our local gas station, serve us at a restaurant, check us out at our grocery store, or walk past us during our morning workout. Each and every day we are surrounded by skeletons, and sometimes we find ourselves paying more attention to the decorations of our neighbor’s house than our neighbor’s soul.

I hope that this evening and throughout your week, you will take the time to see the skeletons around you. Look into the eyes of someone who desperately needs to hear and believe the good news of the gospel, and boldly and humbly share the love and forgiveness that you enjoy each and every day. This Halloween, turn your porch lights on for the one time a year that non believers knock on your door and begin conversations that lead to intentional friendships that point them to the only One who truly gives life!

How Great is Your Love?

1 John 3:18

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

This week the topic of love has been at the forefront of my mind. Recently, I attended a conference where one of the speakers spoke on this topic as it relates to pastors. “Those who love much are hurt much,” he said. “If you love little you are hurt little, but then you don’t love at all.” I am so grateful for those closest in my life who demonstrate such selfless love. Rather than loving in word, they love in action. They love deeply, truly, and more times than not, painfully, knowing with absolute guarantee that their hearts will be ripped to shreds because of it.

Two months ago I took a familiar trip to visit my older brother and his sweet family. I was so excited to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law, excited to open my arms and heart to my niece and nephew, to be showered with wet and slobbery kisses, and to play with dolls, paint fingernails, and rock a crying baby boy at 3 in the morning. My family is so precious and I am so blessed to be part of their lives.

But unknown to all of us, another sweet baby boy joined our mix the same weekend I did. Matt and Chrissi opened their home to baby Colton, a precious and exhausted 7 month old in foster care. He came hungry, sick, and with nothing but the clothes on his back. I remember the excitement and love we had for this baby boy having never met him. I can still feel the uncontrollable and contagious joy my brother and sister-in-law shared for the opportunity to care for this needing child. It didn’t matter that they had two small children, it didn’t matter that there was little to no room for another baby in a house smaller than my apartment. No matter the tighter space, sleepless nights, or life with two babies and a 3 year old, they welcomed him without hesitation.

The next few months shared their moments of challenging days and long nights, but baby Colton knew love. He was showered with affection and prayer. He grew stronger, healthier, and more precious with each passing day. He was loved to distraction not only with words, but action. This week, as I spoke to my brother, I had the sweet chance to say goodbye to this little boy who captured my heart months before. He was returning to his young mother and older brother who finally found a home to care for all three of them. While I rejoice in his reunion to his family and know he will continued to be showered with prayer, my heart aches for the family he knew for these past few months.

Those who love much hurt much.

Knowing full well that this baby boy could not stay, that his time with my brother and sister-in-law was only temporary, they opened their hearts and loved deeply. While the pain is still fresh and the silence is haunting, Matt and Chrissi demonstrate to me and countless others unconditional love put to action, especially knowing that pain will come. They are pillars of strength, sustained by their Great God to love selflessly, unconditionally, and without hesitation or concern for themselves.

How much do you hurt? How much are you willing to be hurt, to experience pain, frustration, anger, disappointment? Sometimes we fool ourselves to believing that the lack of pain in our lives is a good thing, building walls to protect ourselves from the harshness of the world. However, in doing so, we only cage ourselves, never experiencing the full love and joy that God expects and relishes for us to enjoy. I pray that you love much this week. Love in action. Love in truth. Love as your Heavenly Father has loved you and take comfort when pain comes, knowing that love abounds all the more. Those who love much will be hurt much. But they love much!

Falling into Opportunity

     It's Fall! I'm so excited to finally enjoying one of my favorite seasons. I love to walk outside and feel the cool gusts of wind against my cheeks, to finally pull out my MANY sweaters that have been tucked away for months, and to see apple cider at the grocery store again. This season is one of the most beautiful and definitively one my favorite times of the year, especially living on the East cost. This season makes me do silly things like ordering way too many lattes at Starbucks in one weekend, buying cute little pumpkins just because, or daydreaming about lazy days in the park instead of memorizing Greek vocabulary.
     But, Fall is also a wonderful time of refreshment and encouragement. Lately, I've noticed different opportunities throughout day to day life that I usually ignore or I'm to busy to take the time to notice. Listening to a friend's struggles over that Starbucks latte or meeting a precious lady from Rwanda who is not a believer-these are opportunities more worth my time than any schedule I keep. Fall has a way of making me slow down a bit and look, really look at the world around me, breathing it in rather than brushing it off. So as you buy your pumpkin lattes or enjoy hiking through the myriad of colorful leaves, take the time to find opportunity, to seek it out, and engage those around you with Christ honoring, compassionate, and gospel centered conversations.