I mentioned in my last post that I would be writing about sharing God's love through the way I treat others. My parents took my whole family to Maui three years ago. I had decided beforehand that I wanted a tattoo and had discussed possibly getting "matching" ones for my husband at the time and I. God knew to protect me from that! I remember where I was in my house, weeks before we left for Maui, when I started singing the old song, "and they'll know we are Christians by our love...". I remember I was straightening my hair and thought, "now thats a tattoo". So I came up with a design and while in Maui, had tattooed on my left side a cross with a ribbon around it that says, "may they know by my love". I can't remember exactly who I was at the time, but I remember that I was recognizing my mean spirit and my need to be softer and more loving. I remember telling my ex husband that my tattoo represented where I was trying to grow and he sort of scoffed at it.
So over the last three years, I have been changed. Mostly against my will and because of difficult situations, but God is good. I have been softened. I have learned that I can't control what others will do or say, but I can choose how I will respond. I took the trauma of losing my marriage and through Christ, used it to grow. I took a lot of the things my ex husband said (while psychotic) about my being cruel and awful and blah blah and took it with a grain of salt, but also took it seriously. He may have been taking it to a level it wasn't at, but I believe any sane part of him did in fact feel that I was mean, harsh, and not in any way nurturing. I started to be molded by Christ as I began working with kids in the system. I then met my amazing ex that I dated for two years and he gave me the same message (in kinder words): soften your heart. So the last two and a half years I have been softened, humbled, and made much more aware of how I treat those around me. My ex taught me a lot and although I often became angry and/or hurt, he was right.
So here I am, humbled and wanting to be used by God to lessen the burdens of others. I work in a population of low income, little education, drug addiction, and broken hearts. I get paid very little and it's often extremely discouraged, but man oh man have I been changed. I have a new line that I say aloud and to myself on a daily basis: "Just love". That's it. Plain and simple. I personally believe that as a Christian, it's not my role to decide if someone's a sinner and truly a follow of Christ. I don't care about their orientation, who they date, or any behaviors that they may choose. Instead, I believe we are called to LOVE. One of my favorite clients who is tattooed up to his neck (literally) and looks like someone I wouldn't want to know in my past life, has a HEART and will cry on a dime when he talks about how much he loves his wife. I am truly humbled by those I work with and learned that LOVE goes a long way. Give people a chance to rise to the occasion. Love people and let them know you care and you see their hearts. I am amazed by how much my perspective has changed just by loving rather than judging. So...three years ago when I got that tattoo, I got it knowing that I was on the brink of learning something. Now, three years later and a full circle, my tattoo, "May they know by my love" is a constant reminder to share God's love and salvation simply through LOVE...
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