A Time to Love

A Time for Everything 
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 NIV

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

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Loving isn’t always easy. Even though it is often romanticized and can be full of fun and warm fuzzy feelings, true love is always about so much more than that.

In the world, our nation, and in our communities there are heartbreaking things that are happening every single day. And even though there is devastation all around, my heart is  even more broken for those around me, family and friends, who are struggling with very, very difficult challenges every day.

We have the greatest opportunity to love within our family and friend circle. When I consider the people I know and love and some of their circumstances, I am often paralyzed because I want to relieve the pain but I cannot: a beloved father dying, the sudden death of a beloved spouse, a cancer recurring, a family of young children in limbo, the homeless, parents who are burying their child, those coping with drug addiction, the struggle of disabilities, a young mother with cancer, the list goes on….and on….

Where do I even start? 

Where can I draw the strength for loving others as they travel through unimaginable circumstances? The deep love that is required to be supportive through difficult trials can only come through God. It is only through His strength that I can bear any extraordinary burden. And true love often requires uncommon effort — fueled by God.

We love because he first loved us. ~ 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

It is always the time to love. Every person can reach out and share tangible love to those in their sphere of influence.

Show up.

Sit.

Listen.

Call.

Write.

Text.

Cook.

Pray.

Do.

Hold.

Share.

Connect.

Make yourself available, even though it pains you to watch someone in pain. Ask God to give you His eyes to see the needs and His strength to love. He surely will meet you there and give you what is needed for the moment and for the long haul.

On the Way,

Liz

 

PrayerPoints are daily Lenten devotionals that reveal a little about what God is working on in me. I pray they give you an opportunity to consider something from a different viewpoint.