"Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that."
Its no secret that the world we live in can be a dark one full of hurt and pain, but what if I told you that we have the power to change that. Would you? I know it seems far fetched and even crazy, but what if we chose to give love? What if everyday we showered those around us with pure unconditional love? What if we chose to be the change, to be the light in the darkness? I know it sounds daunting but I is so simple. That is the best part about love, although it is so powerful at its core Love is simply the unselfish concern for the well being of another. Now take a minute to warp your brain around the simplicity of it all. You can make a difference. You can change the world, and all it takes is Love. All you need to do is care about those around you. We can all do that. Now imagine it; a world were everyone shows just a little more compassion, just a little more love. Think of all the possibility that that one little word holds.Now don't worry, I am not going to simply paint an idealistic picture for you. I am going to provide you with practical ways to spread love daily. I am going to help you choose love everyday.
What does it look at to love everyday, to unselfishly show concern for your fellow man? It looks like making bags for the homeless full of food and hygiene items. It looks like taking the coats that your child has outgrown to a local shelter or their school so a child in need can have protection from the cold. Love is donating food to your local food pantry or volunteering at your local food bank or soup kitchen. Love is buying an extra box of girl scout cookie and sending it to a soldier overseas. Love is visiting a nursing home and passing out handmade cards. Love is putting a note in your child's lunch box or your spouses that simply says I see you and your amazing. Love is bringing a meal to the family who is struggling because they lost a job. Love is bringing doughnuts and coffee to the nurses at your local hospital. Love is leaving toiletries and gift cards for coffee in the waiting room of the trauma unit. Love is doing something for someone else because they need it, not because you want to look good or feel obligated to do it. Love is unconditional, it never says I will do this for you, but only if you do this for me. Love simply says I see you; I see all of you, the good and the bad, and I still care.
I challenge you to take some time this week to reflect on Love. I mean to really think about it, what it feels like, what it looks like, how powerful it is, and then I challenge you to make the decision to love. I challenge you to love unconditionally and everyday. Bake some cookies and drop them by the police station, drop off blankets to the shelter, invite that homeless man you pass every Sunday on your way home from church to lunch. We are presented with opportunities everyday to chose love and change the world, or at least a small part of it. I challenge you to seize those opportunities. Things will not get better unless we become proactive, we must be the change we wish to see in the world.
