To Love

Have you ever had those days where you just feel like you  mess "everything" up?? Where you feel like you just cant get something right? Where you wonder why anyone takes the time to listen to you, to care about you? I know I have. Not too long ago in fact! I was on the phone with a friend of mine and felt like I just couldn't figure things out, I felt like I'd messed everything up and was quite the failure. He told me I was wrong, that I was far from a failure, and that it was okay to 'not have everything figured out'. But for some reason, those words didn't comfort me, I wanted to have things figured out, I didn't want to mess up, and I certainly didn't want anyone to know about those failures! To add to my frustration, he told me that he cared about me soooo much, he told me how much he valued me, and my friendship, and that made me frustrated because honestly, I can't see why anyone would value me so highly, and care about me in such a way, because, well, I suck! After I hung up the phone with him I climbed into bed and fell asleep, thinking about how stupid I was and how I just "couldn't get things right". I woke up the next morning to a text from him... sent at 3am.. all it was, was a youtube link. Curious, right? I followed the link and sat quietly and listened to the song that played, "Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets. If you haven't heard this song before, I'd encourage you to listen to it, but if you cant listen to it, I'm going to quote the main part of the song. The song is about someone who cant sleep at 3am, because they're thinking about a friend who is hurting, but because its so late they cant call them, so they write what they would say if they could...

"I'd tell you just what you mean to me 

Tell you these simple truths 

Be strong in the Lord and 

Never give up hope. 

You're gonna do great things 

I already know 

God's got His hand on you so, 

don't live life in fear 

forgive and forget

 but don't forget why you're here 

Take your time and pray

 These are the words I would say"

As I listened to that song, tears filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks, how could someone care for me so much? The words of that song were an amazing encouragement to me and I wasn't crying because I was sad, but because I was so happy, and so surprised and I felt so loved. I cannot begin to describe what an amazing feeling it is to realize YOU ARE LOVED. Now I don't mean the mushy-gushy romantic sappy love, I mean a simple (yet not simple at all) kind of love, a love that puts others before itself, a love that cares for your best interest, a love that values you as a person, a love that doesn't give up. That's the kind of love I felt. Even now, I listen to that song and it can bring tears to my eyes, because I remember the loving, caring friend that sent it to me when I was hurting. I would encourage each and every one of you, find someone to encourage today, make them your project, get them to smile, to laugh, to feel truly loved, maybe its the annoying kid at school that no one likes, maybe its a sibling, your parent, maybe even one of your best friends, but no matter who it is, everyone deserves to feel truly loved, no matter who they are, or what their past has been, and it is our job as Christians to show them that love, just like Christ would have. In the Bible we read in Jeremiah 31:3 "I have loved you with an everlasting love" that's God speaking! He loves us with an everlasting love, the kind of love we can only dream to love with. Also, notice that verse doesn't give a specific person, no, you. No matter who 'you' are, when 'you' read that verse, substitute your own name, that's who God loves, and not just you, everyone, there is not a single person on this earth that God does not love. Now, if God loves everyone, shouldn't we do the same? Shouldn't we try to show that love to those around us?

-Emma

As I'm re-reading this post before publishing I'm noticing something very interesting... I wrote about love, the day after Valentines day, I did not intend to write a Valentine's day post, but I suppose I have. Valentines day isn't only about the mushy-gushy type of love, Valentines day is a special day for us to remember, and acknowledge, once again, those that we hold dear and love.