"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1 John 4.7)"
These words come from the lectionary readings for today which is St. Nicholas day. Some say he is a way to "deal" with Santa Claus for parents unwilling to entertain the idea of a jolly man in a red costume (Nicholas, Bp. of Myra, c. 342).
The words are a reminder that in this season, indeed in all seasons, we are called to love.
As the world around us hurries from one activity to the next, tempers get shorter, patience harder to find, and forget about parking with ease. It is easy to get caught in the flow and react in less than loving ways.
What would happen if we let that harried mother, the one with the cranky toddler, go ahead of us in the line at the grocery store?
Left an overly generous tip for the wait staff who was rattled by a grumpy customer?
Randomly paid for someone's meal because they seemed sad and were sitting alone?
I'm sure you can come up with wonderful ideas on your own. The point is that the person on the receiving end of such grace will not be the only one blessed. In giving love, we receive it in ways we cannot anticipate. Even if no one else knows, watching the surprise turn to joy on the face of a stranger is a gift unto itself.
God calls us to love and sharing it with no strings is the best sort of gift. Find a way today to show love in a tangible way to someone in need. Come back and tell us about it.
Amen and Amen on blessing others. I'd like to add to the list, Parking farther away so someone else can park closer. There's a double blessing with this one. Do it regularly and it will help you gain a more slender figure - as espoused in Why *French Women Never Get Fat. *European women, my add; they walk everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping us going with Advent, Julie!