“Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.”Mark 10:21a.
I love this verse. Jesus was about to bring a hard lesson to someone, but before Jesus does that, the writer tells us that Jesus genuinely loved the man.
When was the last time I told a tough truth to someone in genuine love? Is that how we typically talk to each other? It just doesn’t seem like it. And unfortunately, the Christian community doesn’t seem to be much different than the rest of the world.
So if I want to love people like Jesus, then I really need to love people! Not with an agenda, or a plan to “reach them” but just with the love of God. If I can’t? then I really need to check that out!
What about you? What better way to start the day than to be seeking to love one another!
Wow….. this really isn’t where I thought I would end up when I started.
You know, sometimes this writing part of my life is not easy! I try to come up with something interesting, or thought provoking, not preachy and above all not too opinionated. I try to frame what I write as my experience, and hope it either encourages or at least gives someone a different perspective.
phone call I got last night. I am typically the one who is messaging or talking to someone to encourage them, but last night the call was for me. Someone wanted to ask how I was, and check up on me and the family. I appreciated it so much! And at the end she prayed for me, and it was cool because it showed growth in her faith.
Why these two topics together? Well, I guess it’s because I hear much more ”opinion” than encouragement. And since I am like most people, I tend to think we are all looking for more encouragement, love, kindness and lack of judgment than we are looking for another opinion. So today be mindful of the words you say. Be a shoulder to lean on, cry on or just be a good listener. Leave your opinions behind, and see how you can be an encouragement to someone today.
Now some put shepherds in a category of outcasts from society, but others say they are just another group among the poor. Either way, they give us a picture of separation from other people and the normal rhythms of life. To have a big flock, you would need a big area of grass to feed them. Have you ever seen sheep go through a field? And when that field is done, you need to move them to another one. The life of a shepherd was not a normal one of home and family.
How do you talk to people? Especially people you don’t agree with? As I was reading, I was struck by two conversations this morning. Two conversations, two different outcomes. Two different questions, with two different intents. And one Jesus.
When the one man heard wisdom in the answer, Jesus said “you are not far from the kingdom of God.” Sounds like a mile marker to me. How the man approached the question and reacted to Jesus’ response, showed something about his heart.
“I gotta live how I say I believe.” It doesn’t roll off the tongue very easily, but it’s something I’ve been saying a lot lately. It’s mainly due to my children and their struggles, or the downright danger they put themselves into. Honestly? Some of it just has to do with me and my response to the world around me.
It seems to me this is kind of how life works. We’re all in need of healing and could use a little Jesus to do that. Along the way people can come beside us and take a corner to help us get to where we need to be. If we see this story only through the lens of helping a “friend,” then we might miss out on all of the other opportunities God brings our way. Those chances to help people we don’t know, see Jesus.
That’s the plan, and it is way harder to do than it sounds. But you know… ya gotta live how you say you believe!
So today, since I am not feeling well (still feeling the effects of the flu) I am going to try and make these observations short. These are just some things that have stood out to me the past few days, and they seemed appropriate to think about on this day we remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Cheryl Mendoza 