The work of loving people

I will be back soon with more about what we have been up to, but right now, I need to let some words out.

There are so many awful things in the world that happen these days and typically, I don't write about that here. I use this space to record family memories. I will post on Twitter, Facebook or other platforms sometimes though. 

I feel like a tragedy will happen, everyone will see what the "rhetoric" will be for that tragedy and then most people proceed to post something that falls within that rhetoric. 

So in a sense, everyone is posting the same thing said a little differently.

That's not what I'm doing here today.

I writing today because thoughts feel like they have been trapped inside and I must get them out.

Whether it is what happened in Nice, France or an officer shooting an unarmed black person or a black person shooting police officers or a radical Muslim extremist blowing people up or just someone shooting people up, the people/persons who do these things have been hurt themselves. Somewhere along the way in life, they were hurt or abused or just unwanted. 

We have to start being more as Christians. Even if it is just in our community. 

We have to start going out of our way to see people, to show them that we care and are there for them. 

We have to love people that are different from us. That may be in looks, lifestyle, demographic, whatever. 

People want and need to be loved, known and accepted. 

Why is this so hard for us to do?

I know that doing this will not change the world and stop every bad thing from happening, but it might stop some. Isn't that worth it? Even if it stopped one bad thing?

I think of the people I've known in life that have made me feel loved and wanted. It's such an amazing feeling and usually they only did small things but it made a huge impact on me.

Our world is so broken and so many people are hurting in so many ways. 

We can pray and we can love people we come in contact with, even if that is on social media. 

My heart grieves with how evil the world can seem and how my children will live in a vastly different world than I grew up in. 

They have to know to be more careful and to think when they are in large crowds of what might happen.

BUT, more than that, I really truly hope that I can raise them to show love and compassion to everyone. 

We need more people who don't just go about their own lives in a bubble, but go out of their way to reach out to people.

It is something we all can do if set our hearts on it.
People need to see hope in life despite the hurt they've endured.

I'm talking to myself here more than anyone. My heart is just as prideful as anyone else's. 

I've avoided people who I deem "less than" what I want to be around.

That's so shameful to say, but it is true.

I don't go out of my way to be kind to the checker at Walmart like I should.

I've even been rude when I've been in a not great mood.

These are hard things to admit and it's part of the problem.

When did I learn that it was okay to treat people that way?

I lose patience with my kids far more than I should. I like to blame that on my ailments, but it is something I can do better at.

I pat myself on the back for the things I think are "good" but then tell myself that I've done enough.

What is enough?

You can support missions and sponsor children and help in your church and tithe, but if you don't love the people you come in contact with, what does that say about you? By "you," I'm talking to me.

What if someone felt unwanted at church because I didn't shake their hand and welcome them because they didn't seem like my "type." I'm sure that happens every Sunday across this country. 

It's not our job to change people's hearts. That's God's work. 

Our work is to love and accept people no matter who they are.

I'm praying to be better about that with everyone I encounter.