February is the month of love. Hearts are everywhere. There are heart shaped candies, heart shaped cookies,
greeting cards, banners, homemade love notes from our little ones and the list
goes on. It’s the month to remember that
we are loved and to tell someone else that they are loved.
The month of love can
also be a lonely time if we don’t have that special someone. It can be a time of feeling isolated and unknown. It can
be a time where the color red and the symbol of a heart, breaks ours, just a
bit. So much emphasis is put on romantic
love that we might be leaving out a very special heart along the way, the heart
of a friend.
Is God calling us to seek out that person that needs a kind
word, a kind smile and a friend? Do we
need to step outside of our comfortable space, reach out, lean in and offer
friendship?
My guess is yes.
Mark 12:31 The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Sometimes it just takes stepping away from me and stepping towards
another person. In the past I have let
fear of the unknown, “Will they reject me?” or “Am I good enough?” swoop in and
steal the moment. Do you, like me, go
through life mingling with people who seem to have their “stuff” together? They seem strong, content and as if the last
thing they need or want is a new friend.
If they aren’t holding a sign that says, “New Friends Welcome,” we often
file them in the unapproachable category.
But some of the sweetest, kindest people are wrapped up in intimidating
wrapping paper of self-image. Maybe I
should save the filing for another day.
Or there might be those who don’t stand out, who need to be
found. They don’t catch your attention
the way others might. They seem to avoid
oncoming efforts of friendship. Those
hearts may need extra special coaxing to open up. I have been one of those hearts before. Are we afraid of the effort it might take,
the sacrifice of time it may call for?
I John 4:18-19 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear
has to do with punishment. The one who
fears is not made perfect in love. We
love because he first loved us.
Through successes and failures I have learned that most
hearts are more than willing to make a new friend, to be loved, affirmed and
welcome us into their world. We all have
a deep desire to be known and needed, two words I have been hearing a lot about
lately and two words that call us to act.
Some of my most treasured friendships are those that took a measure of
bravery, and a step or two into the unknown.
What if we stopped assuming, stopped labeling, stopped
fearing and started loving? What would
we have to lose? Imagine what we would have
to gain?
I need to examine
myself and pray to be a person that is approachable and willing so that someone
looking at me won’t file me in the “unapproachable” category. I need to embrace vulnerability to be a
person that let’s others in, let’s down my guard and let’s God bless me with
the gift of friendship.
We owe it to each other, friends, to look to each other’s
needs. Hearts are everywhere. We may never know what someone is going
through unless we take that first step towards friendship. We cannot assume to know what a person is
thinking and it doesn’t matter. Reaching
out, encouraging and making one feel loved, that’s what matters! We can leave the rest to God. He will honor our efforts.
The next time we come face to face with a possible new friend
or a heart waiting to be found, let’s be brave, be selfless and purposefully
invest in them and then sit back and be surprised at the response…because the
greatest of these is LOVE.
Debbie Kirk
