Jumping back over the last few weeks, it has hit me several times that I have watched people do various things to try hard to either impress others, or be deliberate about keeping things so private because of being in fear of what others might say about it. Those might seem like things on the opposite ends of the spectrum but there is still a common thread of FEAR and being a prisoner to others thoughts about your life.
As my daughter and I were talking about the various people and the diversity she has encountered and what she has learned from it, I reminded her that no matter what differences people have, there is still a common human need, and will always be, no matter diversity.
People can come to you from any walk of life. They can come from any culture, religion, or ethnicity. They can come from fortune or from famine, and anything in between. They can have any kind of ability or disability, and can be of any age. The bottom line is that even in diversity the most basic human need is still and will always be the same..... the need to be loved, and that they matter.
This is why people go out of their way to impress, or out of their way to hide things..... it is still the root of fear of not being loved for who we are. We have all walked this road at one time or another.
As the new year is upon us, a few things are upon my heart:
1. Let us love people without stopping to inquire about whether they are worthy of it....because they are.
2. Let us love people, right where they are, so intentionally that it allows them to grow and blossom into who God created them to be.
3. Let us love people so ridiculously strongly that they don't have to worry about fear of rejection. It takes so much more energy to strive to impress or strive to hide parts of our lives than it does to just be real, raw and open. Sometimes people have done this their whole lives and lost who they are in the process.
4. Let our fierce love for others help them have a platform to discover or rediscover who God actually created them to be so that they can walk in His truth, His love, His freedom, and His promises fully without fearing what man may say.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.”
— 1 John 4:18-19
Happy New Year Friends!
Lets love others fiercely and intentionally in 2020!!
