(Photo credit not mine!!! Found it online =-) )
"dear children, let us stop just saying that we love each other; let us really show it by our actions." 1John 3:18
I can't express to you how much this verse and this idea has been resonating with me as of late. As I look back into my past (not very far back, might I add) and I play back memories, I realize that myself and the people I constantly surrounded myself with, failed at this often. However, what I am grateful for is that the Lord has convicted me of this, and is uprooting my past behaviors and thoughts. However, the people in my past I cannot speak for. That breaks my heart. I have recognized that the guy who I thought I was going to marry failed at this a lot, so with that I am grateful the Lord took us apart and is preparing me for something else, and hopefully better. Yesterday in church, our pastor was talking about bearing fruit in our lives and what that looks like. When he began speaking about the workplace, he made a point about not being a poor employee because you were sharing Christ, but rather being a poor employee because you didn't work hard. This inspired me as well. I want to be someone in a work environment that works very hard, and does it with a good attitude and hope that I can be a light even without using my words. People always say "actions speak louder than words" right? Again, as I look back and ponder some of the people who were in my life, it makes me want to live this out in abundance. Not only do I want to work hard, I want to show what it looks like to really love. I have been given so much love in the past two months whether it has been from the support of my parents, packages in the mail from friends, a free chic fil a lunch, or my friend Katie helping me look in the classifieds for a job. I have been given an example as to what love looks like from my support system and my Savior. That verse says "Let us show it by our actions." If our actions are not actions made in love, how will people see Christ in us? I have so many thoughts about this I can't even form them all into sentences to put on here. Its almost frustrating that I can't even get all my thoughts out! I think its a shame that Christianity has put a negative taste in the mouths of so many people; you would think, or even hope, that it would be the opposite. What would our world look like if we truly lived out lives of love and service? Instead our society and culture tells us that its okay to be a narcissist. We live in a world of "me" when it should be a world of "others." I was talking with my friends last night who I am currently living with and we were making a comment about a couple we had over for dinner who are engaged to be married this summer. They are precious people and are both rare breeds. After we had said that, it made me sad that this is an uncommon thing to find now. Why is it that there is only about a 1% group of people who are truly gems in this world? (At least that I've met). It makes me feel like my chances of meeting a man who is truly sold out for the Lord and serving others are slim to none. I find this to be rather devastating. I thank the Lord He has introduced me into a circle of incredible people where this isn't such a rare thing, but why did I have to come 1,000 miles to find it? Again, you would think that if people truly lived out lives of love, this wouldn't be so rare and I wouldn't have to go so far in order to find it. How can we change this? It all starts with our actions and living out lives of love. Easier said than done though right? I find that to be such a shame.He is with us wherever we go, what if we starting walking around and interacting with people with the thought that Jesus is right behind us? Thats just it....He already is.
