love, love here we are

This year I was intentionally trying to not be overcome by the stress of the holidays.  However yesterday I realized I was knee-deep in about 6 DIY Christmas present projects and 4 batches of cookies behind.

What is this life that I am trying to lead?

In a world where 26 people were murdered, 20 of them very young children, why am I worrying about baking too many cookies and hand-crafting gifts?

The only thing that can make our lives better is living Christ’s will in this world.

We live in an evil world and last Friday proved that. We must step up and become purveyors of good and light in this world.

God’s light will always overcome darkness but we all need to be stronger stewards of the light he has placed inside each of us.

This is the time to love. To REALLY love. To take it upon ourselves to get rid of our own desires and purposes for this holiday season and to find how we can serve others more deeply.

Instead of running away from the pains of the world we must run toward them. Christ calls us straight into the hurt and the loneliness and the sadness that comes from living life on earth.

What if we each intentionally sought out ways to help our friends, families & neighbors? To sit down and think of things they are going through and the things we see on facebook and discover a way to make their lives easier. I believe we would slowly change this little world of ours.

It’s a challenge to consistently put others above yourself, but if we make it a habit won’t it become second nature?

“The strength of a man’s virtue should not be measured by his special exertions, but by his habitual acts.” -Blaise Pascall

We must prove to others that they are not alone in this life. We must be good neighbors and show them that God’s goodness will prevail through these evil times and disappointing times.

PS- As I was writing this, The Lumineer’s “Stubborn Love” came on. I feel like it couldn’t be any more perfect with this post.

*Update: The more I listen to this song the more I realize that the only appropriate line to what I was talking about was “The opposite of love’s indifference”.  Also a quote from Elie Weisel:

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1iDBtcEm0w&w=640&h=480]