Loving When It’s Difficult in the Month of Love
(Note: In the spirit of LOVE, I’ve got a friend that’s offering a great giveaway today. Read to the end to find out how to enter.)
If you’re here for the first time, visiting from today’s devotion “The Difference a Dose of Love Can Make”, welcome!
As I said in the devotion…
Loving others unleashes an explosion of God’s love.
I believe that to be biblical and therefore true, but it’s not always easy. There are difficult people in our lives:
The co-worker that seems to always undermine you.
The child who constantly challenges you.
The friend who focuses exclusively on herself.
The in-law who’s an out-law.
The neighbor who isn’t neighborly.
The church lady who’s always spiritually one-upping you.
These are all legitimate sources of angst, but none of the “causes” are excuses not to love. They don’t let us off the hook for one clear reason.
Can I tell you? I KNOW that I’ve been the hard-to-love one, and Jesus could testify to that fact. Yet, He has loved me– and you– unfailingly. He is the faithful bridegroom that’s always there for us. Amazing. Hard to believe even, but true.
And so He calls us to love the difficult. The invisible. The unlovely. I don’t know about you, but I need some help with this. Here’s a short list of practical ways I’ve developed as I intentionally point my heart toward loving better:
We listen more than we speak.
This one is hard for a girl who has lots to say. Not only that, but I’ve mistakenly equated listening with agreeing. It turns out that one doesn’t equal the other. I’ll be exploring how to listen to others in a series I’ll start on the blog next week. Click here to join me. The more I listen to someone else, the deeper my understanding of them grows. Even when we’re not on the same page, a growing understanding deepens my empathy and love for them. It has never failed. Listening makes a difference.
We choose kindness even when others are unkind.
Several years ago, a close relationship in my life had become distant through a series of hard circumstances. My usual method of dealing with this kind of situation is what my kids call “ghosting.” Instead of dealing with a difficulty in a relationship, I’d simply slip away. My friends would turn around and wonder where I’d gone. This time, however, God pricked my heart, challenging me to do something that would restore the friendship, and He gave me a tool. It’s a book called The Kindness Challenge by Shaunti Feldhahn. After following the steps in the book for 30 days, lo and behold, my friendship was restored. Kindness is a powerful, loving tool for improving difficult relationships.
We watch closely for opportunities to reach out to “invisible” people.
Just like Babita displayed in my devotion today, there are people everywhere who need to be included if we’ll only open our eyes and ask God to show us. Just last weekend, I chatted with the housekeeper on the way into the bathroom at a conference center I was visiting. I complimented her on how beautiful and clean she kept the facility. It was a simple thing, but I meant it and felt compelled to tell her. On the way out, she introduced herself by name, we shook hands, and we had a lovely conversation. It wasn’t that I did anything that was a big deal, but I felt that it was a divine connection. A holy moment. Who might need a loving connection in your world today?
We pray for those who are challenging us.
Can I confess to you? Although I have a naturally sunny disposition, once you’ve crossed me, I’m apt to either ghost or hold a grudge (or both). I certainly don’t want to pray for those who have crossed my lines! But prayer is another effective way to love others and to change our feelings about them. It’s impossible to stay mad or in a state of unforgiveness if you’re praying for someone. Impossible. We can love others well in our difficult relationships by praying for them.
To help you pray, my friend Kelly O’Dell Stanley reached out to offer 5 of her beautiful prayer calendars to give away today. Wooohooo!
To enter, simply leave a comment telling one way you’ve shown love to others, a way someone has shown love to you or your favorite option from my list today. It can be short and sweet!
Everybody can receive a free gift, though. Simply click on the graphic below to receive Kelly’s February calendar when you subscribe. Thanks, Kelly, for loving on us!
At no additional cost to you, there are affiliate links in this post that help to defray the cost of website upkeep. If you’d like to read the full set of disclosures, click here.
Choosing kindness even when others are unkind was my favorite-something that is hard but always the right choice to make and something that I am trying to teach my children. Thanks for sharing your friend’s resources.
I think the much needed step out of those you suggested above is being kind to others when they are unkind to us. This is what I really need to get better at. Similar to you, once someone hurt or was unkind me, I tend and try to avoid them. But being proactively kind to them is a challenge for sure.
What I consider others showing love is when they choose to find time to spend with me even if they are busy. I truly appreciate it and try to not take it for granted. But it does nourish my heart and soul, and I am always grateful for such moments 🙂 .. .
The challenging child reference speaks to my heart as my husband and I grapple with a difficult situation involving our youngest daughter. I am praying for the ability to shut my mouth and open my ears….and heart.
The challenging child reference speaks to my heart as my husband and I grapple with a difficult situation involving our youngest daughter. I am praying for the ability to shut my mouth and open my ears….and heart.
to love for the month pos February – I lead a DivorceCare program at our Church. We meet on Monday nights – s0 on Feb 11, instead of regular program we will have a “God’s Love” Valentine dinner and a movie.
we average about 18 in attendance – I am looking forward to showing God’s Love
I really like the part of noticing the invisible, I try to do that when I’m aware of someone off by themselves. I know to well the feeling of being in a room full of people and feeling alone. That really resonates with me.
I’m learning that I’m highly sensitive & that I’m the hard one I too do the hosting or put up a wall and end the relationship…I’m seeking help in these areas!
I write 2 people who are incarcerated. One of them I’ve been writing to for 16 years. Something that takes me 15 minutes and a stamp makes them feel noticed, remembered and loved.
I have befriended a young woman with a painful past. Death of her parents, foster homes and poverty have jaded her outlook on life. I have had to picture Jesus loving her at times because it can be difficult for me. I had the privilege of blessing her, by taking her clothes shopping for a job interview. She had not had that experience prior to that day. I was humbled as I thought about the countless times I have been shopping! She texted me to pray about something for her the next day. I am trusting that one day she will pray on her own, because she knows the great intercessor for our prayers. God calls us to love….. even when it is hard.
After reading this, I just am going to be praying for God to help me become a better listener. I love being somebody that people can turn to when they need to talk, but I confess I end up doing way too much talking and not enough listening.
I’m in the middle of a very difficult and painful divorce.(Honestly, is there any other kind?). A dear woman from my small group, who I didn’t even know very well a year ago, has faithfully come to every single court appearance to sit with me while I wait. I’ve been a bundle of nerves and fears, and prone to bursting into tears at the worst moments, but she just shows up, sits with me, prays with me, chats about our kids and our daily lives, and helps me get through the agony. I am so thankful for her friendship and for all the ways she’s helped me keep moving forward toward healing.
There was a young lady that was born again. I didn’t know her personally, but knew of her. One day, she was asked a simple question if she thought something was a sin. She said she didn’t know, but it was up to everyone to decide for themselves. From that moment on, I questioned why she would say that, because God’s Word says it is sin, emphatically. For a long time, I would go near her. I felt like she betrayed God. Last night the subject came up with some friends I was with, and one of the women asked me, “You are a strong Christian, but how much did God forgive you? Have you not understood something God said?” I was quite convicted. I came home and prayed for forgiveness, and in my heart forgave this young lady. And, as amazing as it sounds, as I haven’t seen her since, I love her like I couldn’t love her before! God is so amazing! 🙂
I grew up in a house where there was a lot of judgment of others. It is hard to break this habit once it is formed but I have been working so hard not to pass it on to my children. So, I try to look for the best in people and tell them when I see their gifts. I try to be a good listener and encourager because I have spent too much time trying to be a fixer of people I care about when they just needed someone to listen and validate them. This is still a constant work in progress that is only possible with Jesus!
There is a woman who comes quietly to my excercise class, never says a word but quietly does her excercise with such grace. I stopped her on our way out and mentioned that she was so diligent and graceful. She looked astounded and thanked me over and over. She said “you have made my day”. It’s the little things we do and say that make such a difference!
My mother was one of the kindest and most generous women that I had the pleasure of knowing. Although, as a teen I truly felt she was one of the most controlling and frustrating parent, especially when compared to my friends. Now, as an adult and a parent of daughters, I so appreciate the wisdom, guidance, and unconditional love she gave. Once when I was very angry with her and not speaking to her, she wrote me a letter. In that she shared the challenges of being a single parent, what her hopes, dreams, and aspirations for me were, and if I could forgive her someday…seriously, she asked for my forgiveness, when we all knew it should be the other way around. May I emulate my mother’s love in all that I do.
Amy,
At times I’m prompted to call someone that I haven’t seen in church for a while. I guess that would be your invisible person, one who quietly come to church and quietly leave..
Thank you for getting to the bottom line of sometimes there is an unloveable person around us. Prayer is what I use for those difficult moments.
I am a senior citizen living in a very small apartment. I have had a young man (40 yrs) staying with me for five months. He sleep on my couch. For a few weeks we also had his girl friend and her dog here. I have to watch where I walk because of stuff strewn all around. This is my love in action.
I work in the heart of my community which means I often see homeless folks on the street. I’ve made a conscious effort in the past couple of months to purchase gift cards to restaurants nearby to give to these individuals when I see them begging on the street. I don’t make a big deal about it, but I offer it to them and tell them “God bless you.”
A friend let me use her car yesterday afternoon so that I could help another friend who had a flat tire and needed to get to the grocery store.
I have always had trouble with loving others as I tend to be judgmental. I have worked hard on this and feel with God’s help that I have made a lot of progress. I recently became a widow with all the grief, pain, and frustrations that entails. Being a widow and alone, makes one tend to focus on oneself.
So, I decided to volunteer to co-chair a widows’ support group where I live. Not only do we have monthly meetings where we laugh, cry and support each other, but I decided to personally (on behalf of the group) reach out to each woman on her birthday. Birthdays for a widow can be an especially painful time.
This new project has taken the focus off of me and made me think about others who are experiencing the same kind of pain. It is a way of showing God’s love for others.
“We watch closely for opportunities to reach out to “invisible” people”. I often feel like an invisible person, and it’s not fun. It’s lonely. Recently I have been making a concentrated effort to seek out those who are sitting alone. As a big time introvert, this takes me completely out of my comfort zone. What I’ve found is that not only is God using me to show His love to someone else, but I am being blessed by the interaction as well.
“We watch closely for opportunities to reach out to “invisible” people”. I often feel like an invisible person, and it’s not fun. It’s lonely. Recently I have been making a concentrated effort to seek out those who a sitting alone. As a big time introvert, this takes me completely out of my comfort zone. What I’ve found is that not only is God using me to show His love to someone else, but I am being blessed by the interaction as well.
Any I love reading your writing’s and thought that touch my daily life! We are connected because of my precious daughter, Wendy Myers! In what you wrote today you talked about your smile, it is an amazing smile! May God continue to bless you and arch new day!
It made me smile BIG to see your comment. I love you and Wendy so much! <3
Praying for those that have hurt me always makes me feel better and the more I continue to pray for them the more my feelings begin to change towards them. Love this message Amy!
Thanks for sharing about Babita and how she “saw” Auntie. The devotion reminded me of how much God loves me even when I’m unloveable…. and sometimes that’s a lot of times each day…. yet He loves me anyway. My husband is so like Christ in this way. He continues to love me even when I’m unloveable. He’s kind and patient, carining, faithful, all the while still loving me, when many would have given up long ago. Isn’t that so like Christ, loving me no matter what! Today I thought of a young girl, with whom I’m impatient. I’m going to start praying for her and asking God to help me love her and love on her! Thanks again.
Thank you. I so needed to read this. I will choose kindness and then I will pray.
Love never fails!!! It’s a motto I took when facing the challenging years of raising a teenager. When moments of love were hard.. and relationships were so distant. I loved hard through difficult seasons and I know God was faithful to his word because we most definitely survived those years when as most of us want to just throw our hands up!!’ ❤️
My story is one of someone loving me. Despite my depression and self pity after leaving home after college and starting my career almost 2000 miles from home, my coworker befriended me and gently over a couple years showed me how to enjoy my new life. She prayed for me and was a great listener. We became very close friends. Over time we each found our career paths and socialized in different circles. And now 30 years later we live in different states and she still doesn’t give up on me. She never forgets my birthday or wedding day or Christmas,despite my inconsistency on sending her a card now and then. She knows how to truly love and be lovely. Thank God for her and friends like her!
I think the one thing that is not being said is that the more you study and learn about God and his essence. And the more you observe how Jesus treated the unlovable. And when you internalize and know the love of God and the forgiveness of Jesus is IN us and that we are ALL God’s people, the easier it is to look at others and treat them as He treats us. We are all sinners, yet Jesus found something redeemable in each of us!
It’s easy to say just be nice to others, but until we whole-heartedly understand that Jesus lives in us and uses us to do His work on earth, we will never understand His Grace
Toward all!
Thank you for your precious Devotionals!!
I also want to add that loving others doesn’t depend on who and what they are but on the love of Jesus that we have inside of us! Thank you!!
WOW! This was really what my husband and I needed to hear! We are struggling with forgiving a difficult member in our congregation. The Holy Spirit really used your blog to speak to us. I want to order Shaunti Feldhahns’s book about kindness. Just what the doctor ordered! Thanks so much for being transparent and honest.
Reaching out to the “invisible” is my favorite. God’s heart is to see those who tend to be unseen, and to reach out and value them is being His messenger. Love how you did that–thanks for sharing!
I have befriended the woman my husband had an ongoing relationship with, that included sex and drugs. She is trying to get her life in order and has no “clean” friends. I have tried turning my back on her however God won’t let me. I’m thankful for that, though. Most of the time I feel she is my only friend and I am hers.
I was walking through a parking lot and noticed a car stopped at the entrance to the building g (medical) with an impatient car behind it. I was navigating my way past the stopped car in the snow and saw that an elderly was getting out. I am normally a shy person, but I felt compelled to walk over and offer help. The woman gratefully accepted and I held her arm and helped her up the snowy steps. Just a simple thing, but it helped me realize even more what a blessing it is to show even a little bit of love.
I’m learning to love my husband in a new way; with grace and forgiveness instead of shaming, guilting. My husband has an addiction that may very well kill him. He relapsed, begs forgiveness and continued the cycle. Today, it’s about me and my God who is faithful and able. I also love by praying God over him. This is my best way to love because God so lavishly loves me. Thank you for this devotion!
In the past, I have always shown love by doing things for others. Now that I am physically unable to be the “worker” that I was, I love others by listening rather than doing.
As a divorced woman I occasionally eat out alone., but I generally don’t like it. The other day I was eating breakfast out by myself at a restaurant. I noticed my server was especially attentive to, not only me, but the other tables around me. I was very appreciative of her loving attitude toward customers no matter how they treated her. When I left, I pressed a larger than usual tip into her hand and told her just that. She teared up as she thanked me. God blessed both of us that day as I wouldn’t have paid much attention to her had I not been eating alone.
I love this Amy! I think right now the biggest one that stands out is praying for the difficult people in my life. Not only will it bless them and me, but it will surely soften my heart and help me be more loving – like Jesus! Thanks for sharing!
I try my hardest to chose kindness even when those who I love seem not to love me. It has proven to be the most effective tool in my toolbox for love.
Thank you for shearing this today! So timely and you have shown your sisters love by sharing. I have been going through a difficult time with my husbands family and it seems when I step out in love towards them they seem to take advantage. I so appreciate your Gidly words and certainly pray to be the kindness of our dear Jesus❤️
I took the challenge to pray for someone for 30 days.
Thank you for your words today, they definitely hit home! One simple way of loving others, I have done most of my adult life. It is a SMILE! Try it in a store. So many people have problems and it shows on their faces, but a simple smile makes them smile back at you! It is simple, it is free, and for a moment it might make one bright ray of kindness in their day! Enjoy making our world a brighter place by the light of your smile!
LOVE is my Word for 2019. Thank you for this post. For HIS glory and my good, HE has placed “special” folks into my life, I needed reminding that I love them because HE first loved me! Only through prayer and HIS WORD can I truly LOVE.. Prayer calendar, YES PLEASE
For 2019 God has placed loving difficult people on my heart, And not only loving them, but helping other people understand how to love them. I was out to dinner with two friends last night and we had a discussion about this. I;m also trying to show God’s love to others in small ways this year. We live in Ohio and yesterday it was 7 degrees at dinner time with a wind chill of -25. A police officer came in the restaurant to have dinner. God laid it on my heart to buy his dinner. Now I don’t always have the means to do that, but I did last night. All he knew is that a patron bought him dinner but he was very thankful and I hope on a cold night it showed him a kindness in an unkind world.
Prayer changes my perspective on a person/situation. And kindness can change a heart. Thanks for these reminders!
I plan to get the book you mentioned to revive a lost friendship. Thank you
Your blog spoke big time to me today. Just yesterday my husband received a letter saying he was being accused of something we know he did not do. It was about something my great niece had told her grandma. I called my sister to see what she knew and what she said I knew was terribly wrong. She had not told me because she thought I would hate her. I told her she was my sister and I could not hate her, but I was praying for the whole situation. After we hung up, I was very hurt and angry. I began to wish I had not said that. However I have been praying for guidance from God. And yes I got what I needed to hear from your message today. Thank you, please pray for us during this time that the truth would come out and that I would show my sister the love she needs- they are not Christians.
When I was in high school there was a girl named Amanda I was very jealous of. I was a Christian and I knew she was too. She was so kind, pretty, athletic, and well liked, all these things helped me despise her even more. I felt that she was everything I wanted to be. I didn’t understand why she had everything, why she shined like a light – literally. She was so joyful she radiatesd.
I was so mean to her. I would make comments about her in class, and go out of my way to belittle her. She never responded to me unkindly. Most times she would just look at me, and say nothing.
The Lord was working on me. I knew my behavior was wrong, and towards the end of the year I felt awful ams apologized to her. Unbeknownst to me, she had a worse home life than I did. Her parents were so abusive she was removed by CPS and lived with a friends family. She had a job and I’m fairly certain had to pay for everything herself.
When I apologized to her, she forgave me completely. She didn’t make me feel bad, she welcomed me as a friend. Her friends didn’t like me, which I understood but she didn’t let that stop her. She would chat with me, and we got to know each other and became friends,
I have never forgotten her, and even though it’s been 12 years since high school I still try to find her on social media. She was such a huge impact on me, and I wish I could hug her and become friends with her now as well.
Just yesterday a sweet student of mine unknowingly showed me love by sharing that she listened to one of my YouTube videos on the topic of “putting yourself out there”, and it inspired her to follow a dream she had been hesitant to pursue. This was so special to me because I long for God to use me to make a difference in the live of others. But it’s often hard to know whether the content I share has any impact. The student sharing that my video inspired her was just the dose of kindness and courage I needed to keep sharing the talents God has given me with the world.
I have found that if I change my perspective, it is easier to show love. Instead of being difficult when others are difficult, I put a smile on my face, and greet them with joyful words. It’s amazing how much easier it is to share love.
Hi Amy,
You are a God send. This week I had a very disheartening interaction with a difficult person. I have been struggling with how to respond to her. Part of me wanted to walk away from her and ask her to stay out of my life (maybe like extreme ghosting). But after reading your message today, I am so encouraged. I can see more clearly, I know I have to love her. Just as God has loved me over and over when I blinder. Thank you so much for the reminder. God continue to remind me we need each other, even a sister (in Christ) that I’ve never met can help me.
And yes, to answer your question. I have a people I like to show love to. Whenever I’m out to dinner I intentionally try to learn a few things about the person waiting on our table. I will sometimes go as far to ask them how I can pray for them. And I always thank them for serving us. Just something small like this has touched many of them.
Thank you sister,
Connie
I make sure to greet our school custodians every day and thank them for what they do. We can’t communicate well since we don’t share a common language but I found a smile says everything!
I felt like your blog was written for me! Your words are my thoughts! Thank you Amy and I look forward to reading and learning more from you!
My hubby has been so kind to me. Every Friday morning he gets up at 5:15 a.m. to take me to get bread donations for our church. He isn’t going to church at this point in his life but supports me.
Praying for those who challenge me is my favorite from the list. It is the one I need to work on most.
My eyes were opened today to see that I’m choosing who I feel is deserving of my love and attention instead of showing love to everyone. I will actively work to remove judgements from my day and show love to others. Thank you
My husband does a simple act of selfless love every morning. Every morning he wakes up to go to work and before leaving he makes me coffee and brings it to my nightstand, then gives me a kiss and says goodbye for the day. My husband hates coffee. He doesn’t make any from self, and he absolutely doesn’t love the smell. But he loves me, so he makes it every morning and leaves it on my nightstand so that I can sit up in bed and my cuppa coffee and spend time in the word first thing. This is a simple act of love but it is profound.
Thank you for your loving message. I continue to struggle with loving those who are hard to love.
I have a beloved friend Tonia who shows endless love throughout her day as a teacher, and by sending me scripture every morning. She reminds me to encourage and love all people
Your msg today has opened my heart to go see my sister in law who is in a nursing home. We have had a difficult relationship for 50 years. I do pray for her, but I had decided I would not go back to see her. This time this morning has made me think about it. I will pray for guidance. Thanks for sharing.
I show love by listening and really paying attention to those around me. I try to be intentional in my actions.
This spoke to me as I have a difficult coworker. I will begin to try and make baby steps toward being more loving instead of gritting my teeth when hearing her voice. Thank you so much!!
The reminder that I needed today is to pray for the one who is challenging me. It is often easy to show kindness when people are kind, but I need to remember to pray for my response and reactions to those who do not always show kindness.
Thank you !
I teach in a rougher school, where the kids are hard to teach. Some go without food over the eeejend or evening, some parents are not available to parent, some kids already have a chip on their shoulder for whatever reason. When I started there, I was so shocked, saddened, frustrated and having a hard time getting one kid in particular to make good choices through the day. After countless phone calls, emails, meetings and consequences I was finally able to “love” him through this tough spot we were going through. It didn’t happen over night. I went home most nights in a ball of emotions over this kid. After trial and error, I finally cane up with a plan and now we are doing good. He trusts me and is doing good academically! He even asked if I could tutor him for some extra help! He talks through things now and even understands his mistakes.
I show love by complimenting people I encounter throughout my day. It might be the cashier at the grocery store who has a cute necklace on or the waitress who has a great smile.
Great reminder to Listen. What joy we miss when we fail to engage with those God places in our lives. Thanks for the reminder. I do pray when someone upsets me with their remarks. It’s like inviting God into our relationships.
The wife of our life-group coach will text me once a month or so, to tell me she’s praying for me that day, & ask me if I have any specific needs…..she loves enough to faithfully pray.
I recently spent some time with a group of people praying over some situations in my life & my husband ‘s life, asking for direction & clarity when one of the prayer team members asked “Do you feel like you’re asking often but God’s not responding, or you can’t hear his response to that question?” I admitted that was true & he asked if there was anyone with whom I was holding on to unforgiveness & a name popped into my mind immediately. We spent some time talking about God’s love for us regardless of how we treat him or even whether we believe he exists, & then they helped clear my mind to forgive this person. I have to say ever since then when I’ve seen him at political functions since then my attitude is a lot different. I just have to keep remembering that he’s made in God’s image just like me, & God loves him as much as he loves me. Since then I’ve also gotten more clarity on different aspects of my questions in prayer. Not everything, but the back & forth flow of prayerinf & receiving promptings has increased exponentially.
And I would’ve missed all that without a prayer team member reminding me of the importance of forgiveness, & that forgiveness itself is an act of love toward another.
My friend had a liver transplant in December…her daughter and three children live with her. So, for many months preceding the surgery I would have her and her husband over once or twice a week for a meal and games. This gave them a much needed break and we all had fun. The verse in the Bible says that “laughter doe th good like a medicine”. She is home now, God has answered prayer, and she is ready to come back for more fun and games!
Praying for my daughter and myself that our relationship improves even though I don’t want to in my head.
“We choose kindness when others are unknd.” This one is good but so hard. I want to work on this one with those I work with. I do not need to justify or defend myself, I just need to be kind to them. I pray for God to guide me in this, this coming week.
By nature I am a gift giver or good ol fashioned card sender, not quite as common for some in this fast & furious pace we currently live in. Despite being slighted or judged I continue on & push through the disappointment to love others with simple gestures & time.
I love this reminder to listen. Also, this is the month of love. I did offer to take a church friend to the doctor yesterday. But this was easy since she is easy to love. Help me offer this to someone that is not easy to love. That is my prayer.
I am realizing more everyday that listening…really listening more than I speak, is one of the best ways to show love. Hard to do, but I can see the power of that ‘listening love.’ People are touched when we take the time to hear their hearts!
I like the kindness challenge. Being noticed and complimented makes me feel special, so I want to pay it forward. It doesn’t cost anything except being aware of those around you, whether you know them or not. Even a smile can make someone’s day brighter.
Thank you Amy for this reminder to love! One of the ways I plan to work on this year is starting with my family. Sadly they usually get what is leftover which is not always the best. I have always prayed for for husband, children and my mom. But I want to let them know often that I pray for them and ask them what can I pray for them. Thanks again for your blog! I am so thankful that I found it!
One of my favorite ways to show love is to notice those who are not seen or generally recognized. As you mentioned, to tell someone they are doing a good job, who otherwise might not be recognized. If possible, I also Ike to follow up by letting their supervisor know that I appreciate their efforts.
Good Morning Amy and Thank you for sharing this message! I believe every option is equally important so I will pray to put them all into action more often…being aware of each need for the minute. God’s blessings always!
We pray for those who are challenging us.
Hi Amy! One way I like to love on others is by baking sweet treats for them. ?
I love to send love notes in the mail. Who doesn’t love getting an unexpected note in your mailbox!
My favourite option is to show kindness
I’m heartbroken that my family has lost its ‘familiness’ ~ it’s very difficult for all of us to be connected in a meaningful way. The death of my father brought us a little closer, but it has not healed us by any means. Praying for our relationships to be healed has been at the top of my prayer list for a long time, and God has placed on my heart to reach out to each of my siblings this year on their birthday day each month. (One of my sister’s birthday is February 7, so I touch base with her on Jan 7, Feb 7, March 7, April 7, and so on.) I make contact with each of my siblings through a card, text, small gift, phone call, etc. ~ whatever I feel prompted to do. It’s only been one month that I’ve been doing this, but I love it when they respond to the connection I have made. I feel I am opening a door, and I thank God He has given me a ‘non-threatening’ way to show each of them love.
“Looking for opportunities to reach out to the “invisible “ people.” This has always been a passion as I often find myself ‘feeling’ invisible. A simple hello, eye contact, a meant compliment, an asking for help, a hand written note,so many things to do which say “I see you and so does our Lord.” There is a line in a song which says “say my name back to me…”. See me! Call me by name! That is an amazing transfiguration to behold.