How are we living?

"Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 19:19

This verse has been wrecking me lately. It's a verse I've heard countless times but this past week, it's been seriously on my heart.

Whenever I can't get something off my mind/heart, especially scripture, I start to pray about it hardcore. This blog is basically what I heard Jesus saying to me :)

This verse is so fundamental, so basic, but do any of His followers actually do it? If we really believe that Jesus has truly called us to the ends of the earth, the neighbor Matthew 19:19 talks about includes every other person on the planet. What a huge number of people to extend the love of Christ to! What an awesome privilege it is to join in the redemptive work begun by our Father God, what an amazing responsibility we have as His children.

Can we honestly say that our life is more important than the lives of the 6 billion other people on the planet? As people who claim to follow Jesus, we would never openly admit that, but do our actions say otherwise? Right now, there are millions of people around the world who are suffering and crying out for help. Psalm 34:18 says that God is near to the brokenhearted. He hears their cries. As people who claim to follow Jesus, shouldn't we pay attention to their cries too? Shouldn't we act on their behalf?

If I was an orphan, I would want someone to take me in. If I was in slavery, I would want to be set free. If I was sick, I would want medicine to make me well. If I was hungry, I would want food. If I was cold, I would want clothes. If I was lonely, I would want someone to visit me.

All around us, there are people who are crying out for all those things and more. God has called His people to love them. He's called us not only to love them but He has called us to love them like we love ourselves. That's a lot of love to extend and it's the kind of love that requires action on behalf of those who are hurting.

There is so much work to do. In Luke 10, Jesus says that "the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few." We, as followers of Jesus, need to rise up and get started on the work that He has called us to.

Entering my 3rd decade of life...

I turned 20 last week. It's almost surreal. I feel old but really young at the same time...yay craziness :)

So I'm graduating in May, only a few months away! My grad school plans are all up in the air and I'm just seeking God right now to know what to next. As far as next summer goes, I think I found out what I want to do. I was randomly on the UMC website and found an amazing missions program! I'd be going to a country, probably in Africa, for 6-8 weeks and work as a global justice volunteer. It's a really cool program and it's only $2,200! Lately I've been feeling a real pull towards mission work, but I'm not sure if it's supposed to be in this country or abroad. I'm trusting that God will show me the steps to take and when to take them in His timing.

As far as grad school goes, I'm pretty sure I want to go the social work route and get my MSW. I think it's the best option to do all the things I could see myself doing. So for now I'm studying for the GRE and working on my application to be a Global Justice Volunteer. I'm excited to see where God leads :)