Make a difference #5

Larry and Sue arrived back in Guatemlla. They will be there through the peak work season.

Dr Hines also arrived for a week to work wih the medical staff.

The meeting tonight at 1st United Methodist in San Augustine went well. We will leave Joe & Millie’s home early tomorrow morning for our last church.

I have corrected children and especially teenagers who have reacted with “You don’t love me”. Love does not mean tolerance without limits. Jesus corrected people often but He showed us the difference was that He corrected them with love. He was serious about what was right and wrong but He never crushed the heart of the person to where they could not recover. He spoke truth with love and He treated even the worst of people with respect and mercy. Even Judas!!

Dottie does not care how often I say “I love you” if I do not respect her and demonstrate with my actions how much she means to me. Children and teenagers are no different. I can say “I love you” but they do not care if I say it and yet have no time to speak with them and listen to their hearts. No one cares what we say if our lives are not lined up with our words.

In fact in I John 3:18 John writes “Little children we must not love with words or speech but with truth and actions.”   I belive that the rason many of us have trouble living this scripture is that we have to receive love before we can give love. Sometimes I have felt isolated from God and unworthy of His love. Then I have a situation where I need to give love to a child or even to one of my adult children but struggle doing what I should do. If you feel unloved or unlovable it is difficult for you to love others the way God desires.

Mother Teresa said “You do not talk love, you DO love”. It has nothing to do with your personal feelings. You do it because God says to do it. He will give you the feelings when the time is right.