These past two weeks spent serving with Samaritan’s Purse in Foley, Alabama has taught me a lot about the beauty in the temporary. I’ve met countless lovely people, from teammates that I’ve gotten to serve alongside to homeowners that I’ve been able to get to know while working for them. Through meeting these people, I’ve also had to say many, many goodbyes: some tearful, some joyful, some with a “see-you-later” tacked on the end. Regardless, goodbyes have been something I have always struggled with.
Something the Lord is teaching me, though, is that they simply cannot be avoided — & they really don’t have to be all that bad. They can be really sweet! & people don’t have to be forever!
I know that the Race is going to put me in many situations where I will have to say goodbye. I am going to meet so many people & form all kinds of relationships with them. The people I meet are going to change my life, & vice versa. This is where the Lord has called me, & He is not surprised that this is a lesson that I am still learning. He is glad to walk me through it, & He is bringing redemption through each farewell.
I’m learning that the value of a connection has nothing to do with the length of the relationship it comes with, which is much easier said than understood. Not every person we meet is meant to be in our lives forever — & that is completely okay. They have still been placed in our lives for a specific season & purpose, & they are so worthy of our love, no matter how long we know them.
The biggest lesson here is simply that people are people; we are called to love them with no reservations. Whether we’ll know them for 5 minutes or 5 days or 5 years, or love is not meant to be altered to stick to a timeline. It’s really easy for us to hold back with people that we know will not always be in our lives. Truthfully, there is nothing to lose by loving on every person we meet freely — the only real loss is looking back & seeing all that we missed out on by keeping the people put in front of us at arms length.
Love is the most valuable resource we have, & we have an abundance of it. Let’s stop treating it like a secret. Let’s love. Without borders or boundaries or fears or expectations or strings attached or agendas or questions or conditions. Let’s give away love, undefiled & in its purest form. This world needs it so desperately, & it breaks my heart thinking of just how often we try to keep our love contained.
I’ll leave you with the moment that tied this lesson together for me. The other day, as my team was cleaning up a yard at ministry, we looked up to see a beautiful rainbow in the sky. We all smiled & jumped around & reveled in its vibrancy. But then, as I was admiring it, I watched it completely fade from our view. In that moment, I realized two things; first, I know that rainbows don’t last forever — I’ve always known that. But that didn’t keep me from appreciating it for the time that it was in front of me. Second, the fact that the rainbow wasn’t there forever did not make it any less special. It was still everything that it was before it was gone; the fact that it was no longer there did not change it’s worth.
In conclusion, I want to start treating people more like rainbows. You should join me!
