Romans 12:9-10 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
She had no idea the difficult day I had be experiencing. I was feeling stressed with my ever-growing list of projects and things to do. I was feeling the loss of yet another friend moving out of state. I was hurting with people who have faced difficult challenges. I was also exhausted from all the adjustments, conversations, educating myself, and trying to understand how to navigate through all the things this pandemic has imposed on life. Yet, she burst into the door of our house and ran through the house yelling “PaaaaPa, PaaaaaaaPA!, Papa?” As she rounded my home office door, she stopped, cocked her head to the side and with a big smile that caused her eyes to squint said, “Papa, there you are! I have been looking for you. I have something to tell you!” I turned fully toward her and she leapt up into my arms. She hugged me hard and nestled her head into my neck and said, “I just had to tell you I wove you so much.” And she squeezed in with a whisper, “I wove you Papa, my Papa.”
I squeezed her back and let it all soak in. We were having a moment. I kissed her head and said, “Papa loves you so much too!” All the stress and troubles and issues and frustrations and struggles and tough thoughts of the day just melted away. Wow, letting that love happen did something amazing. My appreciation for this moment was broken with, “Papa?”, she said, “Can I go play now?”
As she skipped away, I thought how powerful genuine love is. God encourages us to love.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong-doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Proverbs 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife,but love covers all offenses.
There is far too much hate, strife, hurtful words, canceling, outbursts of anger, and negativity in our world. Why not help change that a little by letting love happen. With those you love deeply, let them know as you stop and express your love. For others, show kindness, smile, say nice affirming things to them and let appreciation and positive words come out. You could have a powerful impact on someone. How could you let love happen today?
Church is a perfect place to learn of God’s amazing love and how to show that kind of love to others. Why not carve out some time this weekend and go to church? If you don’t have a church you regularly attend, we would like to invite you to view or visit Neighborhood Church. Our website has all the information you need for times and locations of all our Sunday gatherings. We would love for you to join in. You can also find us online at neighborhoodchurch.com. As well, if you would like to view any of our past worship gatherings or videos, visit our YouTube channel, or just search Neighborhood Church Cypress or Neighborhood Church Los Alamitos on their YouTube site.
Seeking to let love happen along with you,
Messages From Mike 
