We are only asked to love…

This is a guest post from Mason Murchison.

There is a quote that I read about two years ago and it has never left me.  Even more so, this quote challenges me in a different way every time I read it.  I read it again today.  It comes from a story written about a girl and about hope from To Write Love on Her Arms:

"We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don't get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won't solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we're called home."

I want to find practical ways to meet real needs.  I find myself constantly praying for God to show me what to do or to open up some door or opportunity.  More and more I hear God telling me; "I have shown you what to do, his name was Jesus and He loved people.  He didn't wait for some organization to hold a soup kitchen (which are great ministries), Jesus simply went to people, loved them, and helped them with what they really needed.  God never told any of us that this was going to be easy, but I have to believe God when he says that this is the best way.

One last thought:  There is a frost warning tonight.  The temperature is going to drop into the 30's here in Charlotte tonight.  I am thankful that I am writing this from the comfort of my heated home but I can't help to think about the thousands of people on the streets of Charlotte that are sleeping outside or the families that had to chose between paying a gas bill and feeding their family.  I think there are a lot of people out there like me who think about these things and, much like me, go to sleep.  Let's do something different.  Let's wake up in the morning and see what we can do.  Let's use these blogs and this community to share some ideas to start meeting some practical needs.

Photo: Perfect Sonnet