“Don’t cross oceans for people who wouldn’t jump puddles for you”

“Treat others how they treat you”

“Stop lighting yourself on fire for someone who would watch you burn”

“Stop caring about those who couldn’t care less about you”

I see these statements every day.

Nobody ever told you that life would be fair, in fact, most people probably told you that it wouldn’t be. It’s not. But what is so wrong with that anyway? We discussed this in my small group once and this wise guy I know had a mind-boggling thought: If I got you a gift “just because” and then you ran out and bought me something better because you felt obligated to make things even, wouldn’t that lessen the gift a little bit?

With that being said, LET’S CROSS OCEANS. Let’s do everything we can, as often as we can, for as long we can, with as much love as we can regardless of what people can do for us. Let us be reflections of the God we claim to love.

I think if you can make someone else happy, you should. We are all so capable of being kind, compassionate, generous beings and we choose not to because we don’t think we will get as much in return.

Isn’t that silly? We sit here, as followers of Christ and basically say, “I’m only going to say or do nice things for people who say or do nice things for me.” That is crazy talk! If we are never showing the “unlovable” a little love and light where in the world do you think they’re going to learn to show some love and light? Be someone’s hope, someone’s light at the end of the tunnel, someone’s saving grace.

Let’s make the conscious decision to take bold action in every situation, to say “yes” when people ask us for help and to say “I’m here for you” for the one-hundredth time because they still need to hear it. Step out of your comfort zone and be extraordinary. As John Ortberg once wrote, “If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.”

Trust me when I say, I know it isn’t always easy. We get frustrated, stressed and hurt just as easily as the next person but we also have a God who displays hope and brings peace. A God who showed us the ultimate sacrifice and example of love when he sent his one and only son to die for our sins.

If nothing else, that’s enough. It’s difficult when people don’t appreciate you but learn this now, you cannot make someone appreciate you or see the good in you. They do or they don’t. No act of kindness (or unkindness) could ever make them see what you have done for them. Learn to love anyways.

Let us be light, let us be loving, let us cross oceans.

Lord I pray that you will open my heart and my eyes to the world around me so that I see what you see. I pray you help me to learn patience, kindness and compassion so that I can be a reflection of you in this crazy world.

Amen.