Encouragement

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"If nobody loved, the sun would go out". - Victor Hugo

There are so many bad and sad things in this world. Sometimes you just want to hide away from it all, and act like it doesn't exist.

But sometimes it seems you have to almost be a monk to achieve such a thing. Hurt, pain, cruelty-the amount of all of it can fill the senses with a sort of despondency and fear….

Until you see the other side. The side that for some reason this world doesn't seem to broadcast as heavily, but is nonetheless strong. The side that gives you hope, that shows another sphere of beauty that had not been presented before…the side of that shows you a picture of life, as it was meant to be, as it can be, if we do as we know down deep inside what we know we should.

I saw this young child offer up his lunch, a lunch he was excited about eating, to someone he thought might want it. I witnessed someone who had been through horrible abuse and extreme pain show some of the deepest sense of compassion and love that I have ever seen. I read how people left their homes, homes of comfort and ease, to go to others in distant lands who were poor and in need of much help. I watched as someone took the time to visit a lonely elderly lady, and saw how that simple visit brought such life to her soul.

But more than that, I hold in my heart the pictures of life as it should be as done to me. I remember when my friend, afraid I might get hurt, came to my aid when I was going to attempt to change a tire on my own-(having little idea how, and not sure the car wouldn't fall on me).

I was touched as a church member, at a very financially low time in my life, brought over a box of delicious food to make sure I was ok.

I remember when someone who, with little clothes of their own, offered to me one of their favorite outfits, because they thought it would make me happy.

The list could go on and on. As I assume it could in many of our lives. Memories of deeds of love, acts of grace and forgiveness, words of encouragement,etc.I wonder if,in some way, maybe we can bring to mind those beautiful pictures that are in our hearts. Though we can't see it when we flick on the news or read the paper, we can hold it there. And maybe the more we bring those things to our minds, the more like them, like those pictures of gold, we will become. And be able to say to the world, or at least to our own hearts, this is what is real-and truly, in the midst of this deep contrast between love and cruelty, we will be able to say, in the end, that love is stronger than anything.

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