A new day, a new chance to bless and love the people around us!

How important it is to be a peacemaker in the lives of the people around us.  Everyone is walking through various life experiences everyday.  Joys, pains, excitements, disappointments, these experiences are ever shaping us and changing us.  We have the choice to handle these experiences in our own humanness or we can choose to be in relationship with God over each of these experiences.  How are we supposed to keep on in the midst of troubles?  In the midst of very heated arguments?  When are hearts are broken?  When we are offended?

I have found my self reflecting on all kinds of emotions about things going on in our planet. There is a lot of hurting and pain.  There is a lot of grief and anger.   There is a lot of disfunction and people taking offense to every thing said, making judgements by who said it.  We can choose to focus on this and take a stance and make judgement and present our argument, or we can choose to see that while we can’t change every situation of trouble, we can be a blessing to everyone we come into contact with during the day.  We can smile, we can wait patiently in line, we can talk with kind words.  We have power as God’s people to show love.  We ALWAYS have the opportunity to pray to God about every single detail of life we face.  We always can choose to pray for the people around us, the people we love, the people who challenge us to love.

On a very difficult day a few years ago, I went shopping with my cousin for things for her husband’s funeral.  While walking around the store with her, I had never noticed people in a store like I did that day, in that way.  I was walking with deep sadness in my heart, knowing why we were shopping there that day, not for fun.  As I looked at every person in that store, I began realizing I had no idea why they were shopping there.  Were they excited to be there? Maybe looking for a gift, a celebration, maybe just to wonder around somewhere, or for a hard reason?  I began at that moment to pray over every person I saw.  I did not know their story, their joys, their disappoints, their hurts, their blessings. All I knew was that I was there that day for a reason and in the same place as those people.  I believe God is completely Sovereign and always has a purpose and point for why we are at a particular place at those exact moments.  Since that day, when I am out and about I am usually praying for God to speak to the people’s hearts that I am around, because I truly have no idea what they have walked through that day or the day before. I try to take notice of name tags and pray for them by name, to care.  I do know that I am called to love and seek the Lord on behalf of the people God puts in my life.  I am guilty of being so task focused, moving at my pace and not caring about others some days.  Just my agenda.  That particular day changed my heart and opened my eyes to who is around me and what God might want to do through me.

A kind gesture just may be the love someone needs to get through the day.   Helping pick something up that was dropped, trading places in line because your basket is full and the person behind you has one thing.  A  smile of encouragement at a mom who just had to go out to get some milk, and her children are not happy about being at the store. Kind thoughts when driving, when someone cuts you off, praying for their safety instead of rambling off all their failures as a person in expletives.  These acts fill our hearts with more compassion and kindness instead of anger and degradation of the person who made a mistake.  We must choose to see each other as humans that God created.  Humans living in the same brokenness and sin that we live in, needing just as much grace and mercy as we do.

Getting to know the people in your sphere of influence is so important. We live next to people.  We may be the only person to see them that day.  They made need your smile to wipe away the tears of loneliness.  The checker at the grocery store may need your patience as they learn a new skill. Your spouse may need a hug after a hard day at work.   Family members may need to hear from you that you love them. God must be at the center of my life so I can be filled with love to love others.  Knowing everyday I am in need of Jesus as my Savior, and they are in need of Jesus as their Savior too.

Handing over the wounds of our hearts to Jesus, pouring out our anger, arguments and pain to him, will empower us to live our life in love in the midst of troubles. We must take ALL our hurts, angers, wounds, offendedness to Jesus.  He knows all the pains we suffer and he is there to help.  Let him begin to heal, redeem and restore what has kept the full abundant life away.  Let him show you how much you are loved so you can then have love in your heart to love those in your daily path.  Ask Him to place his divine love in your heart! He has a new day ready to spend with us! Let’s be the light of Christ Jesus and bring God glory each new day we are gifted to live, casting out fear with love.   The world needs the light and love of Christ that is in you!

“My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love.”  1 John 3:18