I got a text one day that said, “you love people so differently.”
That hit my heart so good. It honestly hit me so good that I thought about getting it as a tattoo (haha).
I started thinking, Jesus calls people to do many different things. He has given everyone specific skills and talents, and for a long time, I didn’t really know what mine were. I knew I was kind of funny and could kind of sing and could be artsy if I wanted to, but I never saw a specific skill I was great at.
On the race so far, it’s been so cool to see how everyone has used their gifts and talents to glorify the kingdom, and it’s been really cool to see God reveal mine: He has shown me that I really do love people differently. More specifically: He has called me to love others the way He loved His people.
I decided I wanted to figure out what it truly meant to love people differently, so I went to the best source…The Bible!
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 states, “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Roman 12:10 says, “Love each other with genuine affection.”
1 Peter 3:8-9 states, “Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted and have a humble attitude. Pay people back with a blessing.”
Loving people differently means: sacrificing my needs to help someone else.
Loving people differently means: humbling myself in every situation.
Loving people differently means: being patient and kind to everyone I meet.
It’s funny because all of these things sound so miserable. Think about it: Humbling yourself to help others? Sacrificing your happiness for others? It sounds so bad, but the truth is, when you decide to live like Jesus and love like Jesus, you experience a happiness that can only come from Him. It’s truly the coolest feeling.
Here is an example of what I mean:
me and my teammate Shelby were going to a coffee shop and both of her bike tires were completely flat and it was very hard for her to ride it… so we switched bikes (she wasn’t kidding, it was so hard to ride). We got to the coffee shop and I was drenched in sweat, and she felt so bad… but I was full of joy. I did something that Jesus would do, and He filled me with a joy that only He can give. I t w a s s o c o o l.
So, so what I don’t have a voice like Adele’s, and so what I am not Kevin Hart funny, I have the gift of loving people differently, and to me, that’s more than enough!
I am so incredibly thankful for this gift that God has given me and I cannot wait to see where He will take me with it.
