Today is Valentine’s day. I’ve never been a big fan. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great to tell people you love them. But, I prefer that people tell me they love me on a day that they aren’t expected to, rather than when the rest of the world tells them it’s appropriate.
God is continuously changing the way that I interpret love. I used to think that it was okay to feel like I was having to earn someone’s love. I thought it kept things from being boring. I used to think that loving the people around me meant simply being nice and not arguing. I used to think that actions meant a lot more than words. Now I realize that’s not what love is all about.
Today, the lovely men on our team treated us to massages on the beach. My former self would have soaked up the sun and gladly enjoyed the much needed silence and sense of “alone” time. But, today was different. We started our day by reading the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13; it reminded me what unselfish, pure, Godly love looks like. It reminded me what it means to love with a love that can’t possibly come through my own strength. It reminded me that I so often fail miserably at taking the focus off of myself and loving completely.
So, as we began our day of pampering, I laid on the beach and realized that I wasn’t really enjoying myself. After a few minutes, I realized why. Back in the States, it’s so easy to view people as their job title or as someone that’s simply providing you with a service. I had said hi to the woman giving me a massage and that was the extent of our conversation. It bothered me that my first instinct was to zone out.
I introduced myself and began to ask her questions. Her name is Helen. She has three Children. She attends our church. She was born in Puerto Galero and has lived here her whole life. She told me I’ll look like a Filipinno by the time I leave here :). She told me that I look 18, but that it was ok because I’ll look younger when I’m old. She asked about my family and then wanted to know stories about my sister and I. She was genuinely interested in my life.
After my massage, I saw a man walking down the beach selling things. His name is Alec; I’ve talked with him a few times in passing. I would have thought he was a nuisance in the past. I would have been annoyed to stop my schedule to say that I didn’t want to buy anything. Instead, God reminded me that he’s important…that he probably gets cut off and ignored hundreds of times a day. What must that do to a person’s heart?
Ministry this month has simply been listening and talking to people. One of the biggest ways to love is to genuinely listen to what someone has to say. If there’s anything that I want people to truly remember from reading my blog is to love. Love with all your heart. Praise the Lord when things are good and shower your blessings on others. Praise the Lord even when things aren’t so great and continue to love, because He first loved us and that love trumps any circumstance.. Love when the person next to you is driving you crazy. Love when someone treates you terribly, because that moment shouldn’t define who they are in your eyes. What would the world look like if everyone chose to love others with Godly, undefiled love? Always love.
