Love as I Loved

Yesterday my time was filled with vain and empty things,

And I was so busy with all that life brings,

People crowded in my way, 

But I pushed them all away,

They were just a senseless bother

Till I heard the Savior say:

Love as I loved,

Give as I gave;

These are the people that I came to save.

Love as I loved, and I will shine through,

Let others see My love, in you.

As I reflected on my summer in Trinidad, I read through my Trinidad journal and my recent blog posts. The entire summer was focused on love. Now that I am back in the States, what can I bring home from this trip? No matter where I am, I can love. I can love my students, neighbors, co-workers, church members, etc. Who am I to distinguish who I love, when God loves everyone! This may sound like a super simple and easy concept to undertake, but sometimes the simplest things are the hardest. What if each one of us stepped out of our comfort zones and loved our neighbor as ourselves? Would the world be a different place? I can tell you from my experiences in Trinidad, that Trinidad is a better place because of the love that is there. It is obvious that God's love is inside the hearts of the people. I have never felt so welcomed and at home, more than I do in Trinidad.

What was my purpose while in Trinidad? To show God's love towards all people. My everyday mission was to make sure that others knew that God loves them so much. Less of me and more of Him. But shouldn't that be my goal everyday? Just like this song says, I have become so caught up in empty things and so "busy" that I have forgotten who I live for and why I live. I live for the One True God! Alpha and Omega! Savior, Redeemer, Friend, Father! Who am I to forget who God is? How could I have become so selfish and self-centered? How can I change? How have I changed? Love! By loving my Heavenly Father and loving people like He loves me, my life has become much greater and circumstances much richer than I could have ever imagined.