I am compelled to love people. The people that God has placed in my life; I know they aren’t there by chance; and that God put them there for a specific reason. My husband, my kids, my friends, my extended family, my high school girls and anyone else whose paths cross mine.
Nothing brings me greater joy than knowing I am investing in the one thing besides God that lasts forever. People. Doing the best I can through Jesus to show them His love. Growing up I was taught “Love God Love People“. It was repeated over and over to me, and now I look at it as a motto of sorts. To have a servant’s heart and pour myself into the people in my life.
Obviously I don’t do this perfectly. That’s not a surprise right? I hope not. But lately I’ve gotten hurt, and tired, and started to think that people SUCK. We really do. If you think about it; we are selfish, mean and critical. Thinking only of ourselves and how something benefits ME. I can only go so long without hearing a thank you, or having the love be returned, or being told AGAIN that I didn’t do something correctly (when it wouldn’t have gotten done in the first place so how is there a WRONG??) before I being to feel taken advantage of. Or used. SO a part of me wants to hole up and tell anyone who asks me where I’ve gone that it’s scary and lonely and mean out there. That the love I give, is, for the most part, not returned. And tell you the ways I’ve been used and hurt, and how lonely I feel. And if you’re actually one of the few DOers to tell you not to go out there and waste your time on the TAKErs… because all they do it, well, TAKE.
But then, as I cry into my pillow over someone I’ve been forgotten by, how much more Jesus is hurt and cries over us when we forget Him. There are so many times I just TAKE from Him and never give back, never stop to say thank you, or I tell Him how I would’ve done it differently. And while there are people I would die for, Jesus died for ALL of us…every single crummy, sucky, worm of a taker person out there. So each of us wouldn’t have to. Craziness. And as if that weren’t enough, He wants a relationship with us. Wants to know us. Wants to be involved in our everyday, living breathing life. How totally other than we are.
SO, once again, as He lovingly shows me I cannot sit here and stomp my feet over my so called rights; I am called, and compelled to LOVE. As He first loved me.
