"Get on top of people & love em'"

I had a funny, silly, goofy, birthday related post I had planned to blog about today, but my heart has been pricked with a little something different.  So I'm just gonna go with it...& save the funny, silly, goofy, birthday related stuff for another day.

This past Sunday morning, our Sunday school teacher taught on the story of Elisha & the Shunammite woman. He focused on the fact that even though the Shunammite woman's child had just died & she had ridden as fast as she possibly could to get to the man of God {Elisha} in an attempt to save her son, once she got there & was asked what was wrong {because clearly her countenance showed that she was definitely not okay}, she replied "It is well."  What?!  Was she crazy?  Why did she say that everything was well when it most certainly was NOT well?!  It was far from well!  Elisha dug a little deeper to find out what was the matter with the Shunammite woman & found out that the woman's son was dying & that she did in fact need Elisha's help.  Our teacher pointed out the lesson that we, as human beings tend to do this sort of thing all of the time.  When asked how we are or how things are going, we give a quick "fine" or "great" or whatever surface reply we can ramble off,  just for the sake of answering the question.  Most of the time we remain guarded & never spill what may actually be going on in our lives.  And even more so, we often times accept that short "fine" or "great" answer from the people in our lives, even though we can see it written all over their faces that everything in their life is definitely not "fine".  Sometimes we need to dig a little, sometimes we need to ask a few more questions, sometimes we need to take some time to really love on them.  In our teacher's words, "Sometimes you just need to get on top of people & love em'"  Haha...not literally, of course.  But you get it.

Well, because of some various reasons, this lesson has really resonated with me today & I can't seem to shake it.  When that happens, I know it's God speaking to my heart & that I had better listen up.

You see, sometimes I get so caught up in this life of mine, the day to day, the things that are important to me, that I lose sight completely of the world around me.  And not just the world around me, but even the people in my life that I love & are so very important to me.  I get so focused on myself, that I fail to take the time for the people in my life that need some love, some support, some encouragement.  I see it in their faces, I hear it in their voices, I know it in my heart, that something just isn't okay.  But usually, I leave it at that.  I don't want to pry.  I don't want to seem intrusive.  I don't want to offend.  And what ends up happening  is that I completely miss a chance to love somebody at a crucial time in their life.

I've been there. I've been the one who has needed someone to just come along & say, "Hey, what's really going on?"  And fortunately, I am blessed enough to have friends in my life that have done just that.  Just a little bit of concern, just a little bit of love goes a long way.   I'm a big believer in love.  I believe that love is powerful.  I believe that it heals.  I believe that it goes much further than we can ever imagine.

We are all carrying around our own crosses.  And if you're lucky enough to not be carrying one right at this moment, count it a blessing.  But know also, that you will one of these days.  Because unfortunately,  this life isn't fair.  It's not kind.  And sometimes, it's just downright ugly.  But sometimes in the midst of our hurts, our struggles, our trials, our tribulations, it gives us an opportunity to be loved.  It gives someone else the opportunity to love.

God has really been working on me over the past year--trying to get me to take down some of my walls, to peel back some of my layers, to put myself out there even if it ends in hurt, & to be a little more transparent.  He has shown me that it is okay to have struggles, & to admit them.  And it's been amazing, because the times that I have truly let me guard down & been true to myself & my feelings, God has used people to minister to my heart in ways I never thought possible.  I've been loved, that's for sure.  And now, God is telling me that it's my turn to love some people in my life.  To get over myself & the things that I think are important, to carve out some time, to set aside my busy schedule,  & to love some people who need it.

I'm not going to be afraid to "get on top of people & love em"!  & I am thankful for the people who weren't afraid to do the same for me!