I have been trying to understand how to "love others well" for a while now. I know I should help people in need and do for others what I would want done for me, but there has to be something more than that. This concept has been presented to me over and over and I finally found the meaning through Christ.

Throughout the last few days, I have seen Christ at work in every aspect of my life from the friends I've made to the prayers He has answered. I was pretty lost throughout my first few weeks at school. I tried to get involved at churches and other religious organizations and nothing was really sticking with me.

Well, one night I ran across a devotional on my Bible app (oh, the joys of technology) and it said, "You need one person who'll love you unconditionally, accept you completely, and pray for you constantly." The devotional went on to talk about the need for a friend that you can completely trust and basically spill your whole life story to. Thank goodness I didn't have to wait long for this friend, because she popped up the next day completely out of nowhere. (Yes Allie, that's you!) I have never met anyone who loves others as well as she does. So, as I sit here thinking about what it means to love others well, it only seems fitting to quote a bit of Scripture that I've been turning to as I ponder this. "We love because He first loved us" 1 John 4:19.

I think the best way to love others is to guide them and point them towards Christ. I have been trying to come up with ways to do this, like bringing people to church or just talking to others about their faith and seeing how I can help. All of the great things in my life happen because God is working through me.

I repeat I am not doing a single thing on my own. He speaks to me and shows me ways that I can light up the lives of others. He is changing me every day and as I looked for the answer to loving others well, He showed it to me.

My goal for this semester is to dive deeper into my faith and focus on loving the people around me. I am so happy that I have met friends who can hold me accountable to staying strong in my faith. Hopefully they see the changes that Christ is making in me every day, and the love of Jesus I try to reflect in the best way that I can.

As I walk with the Lord this semester, I am so pleased to have a goal to work towards. If you are looking for a spiritual goal throughout the next few months, try loving others well. I promise, you won't regret it.