I'm a living vapor...

For about 2 years now, God has been placing in my heart a compassion for broken and vulnerable people.  This desire is something we should already be developing as we grow in our love for God (see Matthew 22:37-39) and lately this has been weighing heavily on my mind. Today I've been hearing stories of people who have been affected by the choices and actions of others. I want to share just a few accounts: 1. Today at Switchboard, I received a call through the Teen Linkline (a youth-oriented telephone information and counseling service). The caller was a teen girl in high school. She said that she was hospitalized yesterday because of the painful headaches she receives from the stress at school. This stress, as she explained, was due to the verbal abuse she receives from a few classmates. She had just transferred to that particular school since classes began in the fall because she encountered the same experience in the previous year. She has a limited support system which incl...

It's hard to love the unlovable, but it's possible. With tomorrow being Valentine's Day (that infamous holiday that some people tend to despise, lol) you can't help but face the concept of love from every direction. Obviously there is that romantic love between 2 people, but I believe that we must very well consider our love for God & others. In fact, it's commanded: Jesus replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" [Matthew 22: 37-39] Love the Lord your God... I don't have a hard time understanding that concept because God IS love. For most of us who recognize this, we can't help but reciprocate that love to our Awesome Creator. He is unchangeable, He knows all things, He sees all things; He's all powerful, loving, merciful, and just. There are (and will co...