Writer in the Woods

What guides you? What gives you purpose? Why do we help one another in situations where we believed we wouldn’t or shouldn’t? Many parents I know don’t wince at the sight of their own child’s bodily outputs, yet before they were parents, they couldn’t stand the sight. Why do we have an innate will to mourn people we don’t know personally? Or become angry over the violence done in places we don’t call home? This, my friends, is far more than “human nature” on a scientific level; it is because of how God made us. We are made in His image not only in appearance, but in spirit. Humans have the ability to love like God loves. But to unlock that love, we must act on those empathetic instincts. For those of my friends who are my brothers and sisters in Christ, we must go beyond worship on Sundays, and give praise to Him through action. Go to the ones that need you most, and show God’s love to them. Forgive those who hurt you out of ignorance and/or spite. They are hurting. Many people in the world strive to show God’s love that’s burning in their hearts, but they do not know it’s there. They express their passions in ways that are destructive, only because they do not know how to express them properly. 

My friends, please know that those of you who are expressing your need for love through destructive, self-consuming ways, you are loved. Your family loves you. Your friends love you. If you believe the opposite to be true, know that above all else, God loves you. He will always love you. The love of God is all around you. It’s in the eyes and hearts of your family, in your friends, in your pets, in children (all, not just yours), in your teachers, and in all of creation. When you feel the wind cool your face, that is God giving the breath of life. When flowers spring forth from the ground and the trees, that is God comparing your beauty with nature. You can feel it in you every time you smile or laugh just because you’re happy. And to my friends who are depressed, I say to you, God will be there to comfort you. To all, I say go to God no matter what! Go to him when you are happy. Just like a parent, God loves to see His children laugh and play with true joy in their hearts. Go to God when you are sad and/or angry. There is no greater comfort. Finally, my friends, know that I love you for all that you are.