L.O.V.E

If I gave everything I have to the poor but do not love them I gain NOTHING. I can go play with the kids in the orphanage, I can walk out side of the gate and give hugs and high fives to the kids running up and down the streets, I can give food to the hungry, I can give shelter to the widow who has 5 children, I can give the clothes off my back to the man or women who has nothing. I can do all these things but if I don’t love each one of those people with all of my heart with everything that is inside of me it all means NOTHING. I sit here ( in my hot hot hot room) and this statement resinates deep with in me. The root of everything really is love. If I give the women my shirt but I do not deeply love her it means nothing, if I give the kids on the streets high fives and hugs but I do not love them with everything I have it means nothing.

                                                               

I feel , as Americans especially, we constantly are seeing the commercials to help send money or to sponsor a child in Africa living in poverty. Or we hear constantly that we should send money over to these third world countries, that for many people are places they have only seen on T.V. or read about in magazines, and that the money will bring hope to a family in need. Churches are constantly talking about how we are suppose to give to the needy and poor or give to the widow or orphan. And yes we should be doing all of these things, but the truth is if we are not doing it because we genuily LOVE these people then it means nothing. We over look the importance of Love and how it can affect a persons life more than material things can. We forget sometimes how much we desire and love to be loved. Love is what will bring these people hope and joy. I am not saying that we should stop building houses for those who need shelter, or that we should stop sponsoring a child, or that we should not give food to the hungry, that is not at all what I am saying. What I am saying is I need to check my motives behind doing those things, I need to come to a place where I am doing these things because I deeply deeply love these people. That is what I am challenging myself with every day when I wake up here in the Philippines, I am asking God to continue to break my heart for these people, to love these people the way I love my friends and family back home. To not just see these people as a project that I am suppose to fix because I am on a mission trip. I keep asking God to show me how he wants me to love these people, I keep asking God to show me how to deeply fall in love with these people on a daily basis. To not just go through the actions of helping these people but to go through the actions of helping these people because it derives from being passionatly in love with them.