"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." -1 Corinthians 13: 4-7
"There isn't a person you wouldn't love if you could read their story."
I've met people that have been tattered and torn by life to such an extent that their hurt was tangible. Individuals who I cared for so deeply; people in which I longed to hug away every ounce of pain that they had ever felt by this cruel world. Pain in which some did not even know they were experiencing. Invisible chains that they were bound to- ones that were begging to be broken.
It appalls me that we as human beings are so easily deceived by our perception of emotions. We should know all too well how the tone of our voices tend to portray a different feeling than what is really happening inside of our hearts. Yet, so quickly are we to judge those in which we are called to love. How indifferent are we to the struggle that occurs beneath the surface of those around us, regardless of how they act on the outside? In this society, when asked how we are doing, we are expected to say "great", regardless of whether that is the case or not.
To dare to be gentle in a harsh world is the loveliest thing that we can be. To have hearts that serve out of love rather than duty not only far surpasses any external beauty one can have, but provides a cushion of support for those that are crippled by their withheld tribulations. As human beings, we were designed to live in fellowship with one another, being honest about our joys and hurts alike. Yet, when we conform to this world's standards and make others feel as if they are judged rather than accepted, we add unnecessary weight onto the shoulders of our brothers and sisters.
The beautiful thing about having a relationship with the Lord is that He calls us to pass on the love that we receive from Him, onto others. His Word tells us to "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." -1 Peter 5:7
As a result of the Heavenly Father being the receiver of all of our sufferings, we then have the grace to "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." -Galatians 6:2
It is a wonderful cycle of love that God gives us access to. By Him taking the load off of our shoulders, it gives us room to carry others' burdens where ours would have been. However, in order to be empathetic, we have to rid ourselves of the sin of judgement. We have to fight the instinctual response to cast others down, and train ourselves to build others up in action, word, and thought. We have to humble ourselves in the awareness of what it means to hurt, and have the selflessness to never inflict that pain upon our fellow human beings. We have to realize that some individuals are held down by the burdens of their past, and we may be the only love that they receive- whether they deserve it or not. You may be the only person that understands that their negativity springs from a well of suffering that they live with day after day. Maybe, just maybe it's not their fault. Perhaps they need someone to show them that those chains can be softened and broken by a friend, and most importantly by a Father Who cares.
As Jesus said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." -John 8:7
My friend, not one of us is qualified to cast that stone.
But the greatest of these is love. How can we live that out, one day at a time?
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