The least of these...

It's pretty amazing what you will learn if you open your heart and ears to what God wants you to hear.

As we have begun getting things prepared for our trip, there has been lots of reflecting on ourselves and how we live our lives. I feel like I have always been a pretty compassionate person. I normally feel for others when something "bad" happens to them or when life has not treated them so fairly.

But then something Mike, our AWESOME Youth Pastor, said on Sunday night really struck me - loving "the least of these" isn't just about loving those who have been hit by hard times. It's also helping those you might have helped with the same thing last month, it's about helping those who don't know how to stop the insanity of bad choices, it's about helping those whose life circumstances don't make them "pretty" to the human eye.

I'M SO NOT GOOD WITH THAT KIND OF LOVE!

Somehow as I've gotten older, I've become cynical and I don't trust people. It seems I'm looking to find the bad in people.

So #1 on my list of things I'm excited about for this trip - learning to love others. To truly love the least of these. I know I'm going to meet people who I wouldn't normally be around. And half way through the week, when I'm exhausted, sunburnt and tired of dealing with bugs the size of my head, I'm going to have to still love these people.

I'm excited to see how God can open my heart and mind to His kind of love!

I Peter 4:8-9

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality without grumbling.