"God's greatest gift"

Someone once said, "Too often, we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the power to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!"

I know that most people have heard the expression, "God's greatest gift is love", and I am one to believe that this is true. One of the best things that I have learned out of life is to love people, let them into my life, and let them become as close to my heart as they are willing to get. No, I honestly don't like every single person that I meet, usually because our personalities clash, but that doesn't mean that they don't have good qualities. When I do meet someone that I get along with, I am quick to become close to that person, and I deeply care about them. I have also learned that this can be a good thing, or it can be a bad thing. This can be a bad thing because I tend to let people get really close to me, and then in an instant, they are gone, I have to realize that they never truly cared, and I get hurt. If they are willing to walk out of your life, not giving a care in the world, they probably weren't meant to be a part of your life in the first place. The good thing is, I'm strong, and I know that in order to stand back up and keep walking foward, you have to fall down sometimes, scraping your knees a few times along the way.

Another thing that I have learned about love is that not everyone loves in the same way. Someone once said, "...just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, it doesn't mean that they don't love you with all they have." I show my love towards people through hugs, and I am not a distant person. When I hug someone, I sometimes feel that they don't care if all I get is a pat on the back, but I know that not everyone has a close, affectionate personality like I do. The thing that you have to remember is that you can't let this be an interference between you and another person.

Yesterday, Mandy, our Sunday school teacher asked us to raise our hand if we are a good listener. She then went on to explain that not everyone is a good listener, and it is easy for us to believe that they don't care. I raised my hand to say that I am a good listener, but honestly, I can't even begin to recount the times in my life when I have ignored someone or only heard half of what they had to say because I was too busy thinking about myself or what I am going to say back to them. I believe that one thing I am pretty good at is giving advice or "words of wisdom", so when people are talking to me, I am sometimes more focused on what I will say in return. Do I always hear all that they have to say? Do they know that I even care about what they are saying? These are things that continuously ran through my mind as Mandy was speaking. I think about all the times that I have gotten frustrated with someone because they seemed to be in their "own little world" or began speaking while I was talking to them, but were they really just trying to think of a response to my words like I tend to do? One of my best friends is a really great listener, but I don't realize it at times because she doesn't look at you when you're speaking, and you honestly can't even tell if she knows you're there, but in the end, she can repeat every single word you said and even reassure you that she cares and knows how you feel. If I wasn't willing to give her a chance and find out that she truly is a good listener, I could have lost a great friendship.

The last important thing that I have learned about love is that it can come from more than one type of person. I have love from God, my family, and my friends, but neither love is the same. The love that I receive from God is eternal, and it can never be altered. The love from my family and friends is a little more alike, but my families' is a little stronger and personal because we have been through everything together. My parents will stand up for me no matter what life throws my way, and I will love them through every single battle we face. I love my friends very deeply, but I know that not all of my friends can be the same and love me in the same way. I have some friends who are younger and some who are older, some who like the same things I do and some who don't, and I also have some friends who are closer to me than the others, but I love them all. Just because some of my friends are closer doesn't mean that they are of any more importance than the others; it just means that I need to try harder to become equally close to them.

With all of this said, other people mean everything to me. Family, friends, teachers...they have all been put into my life for a purpose, even if that purpose means that they will be leaving my life, causing me to fall so that I will have to get back up again and become a stronger person. It's the same for you as well. All you have to do is pay attention to detail and find out exactly why God places each person that you encounter into your life; it may be very simple, but it could also be life-changing!