Before you read my 4th and final post from my Live Second journey I have something to say….. Though the book I have been blogging through is titled ‘Live Second’ I feel like I am not second… Yes you heard me right I said “I am not second” The way I see it the order should be this way….
#1 Jesus
#2 Others
And Then …ME “I am Third, I am Fourth, I am Fifth…maybe even LAST.
with that being said here is my final post from my Live Second journey…..
Day 32 of my Live Second Journey: Love Defined
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal – 1 Corinthians 13:1
‘All of life, every good deed, every noble task, if not colored and painted with love creates only an empty canvas’ – Live Second
As many of you know I am a child sponsor and also child advocate through Compassion International. It is something I have been a part of for a little over 2 and a half years and one of the many huge blessings of my life.
The first time someone asked me to sponsor a child I gave them the answer of no but after I was asked I could not seem to get those kids out of my head. I kept going to Compassion’s website and looking at the kids over and over eventually sponsoring a little girl from the Dominican Republic named Walkiris.
I realize now it was God pressing me to sponsor but at the time of my life I was just starting my journey with Jesus and was not really in tune with all the Jesus ‘vibes’ yet. I think I sponsored her more because I thought it was what I should do more than doing it out of love.
When a child is sponsored through Compassion the sponsor and the child are encouraged to write letters to one another. In the beginning the letter writing was not one of my strong points. Even though now I will sit for hours writing a blog post or writing in a journal, writing letters was not something I liked to do and when it came to writing that little girl I could not think of a thing to write. Thankfully even though it made me very uncomfortable I did still write to her.
About 3 months after I sponsored Walkiris I received my first letter from her. Because she was only 4 years old a grownup wrote her letters for her and she drew me pictures signing the letter with her little finger print in blue ink. The minute I read that first letter was the moment I first saw the love. I could see all the hard work she had put into making those pictures special for me and there was just something about that blue fingerprint that moved me. After I received that special letter I began pouring love into the letters I wrote to her and somewhere along the line I began to love that little girl like she was my own child.
The author of Live Second wrote ‘All of life every good deed, every noble task if not colored and painted with love creates only an empty canvas’.
Something I realize now is though sponsoring her was a good deed, God did not call me to sponsor her to just send her money and do a good deed, He called me to love her. He called me to give of myself to her. He wanted me to take the time and write her letters. Had I just sent her a check and not took the time to write her I am pretty sure I would have missed a very huge blessing.
Something I have been discovering through these past few days of blogging is that love is not just some mushy feeling you get inside. Love is everything that makes anything worth while.
Love is what happens when your heart cares for others so much that you want do nice things for them.
Love is when you feel someone else’s pain and want to take if from them or when you find yourself loving or even crying for someone you have never met.
Love is also when you find yourself praying for a person who just treated you badly and you find yourself humbly washing their feet.
When you selflessly give of yourself and don’t think of receiving something in return, then you have found true love.
Today I saw a picture someone posted on facebook. It said, ‘I hate it when someone treats you like dirt and you still care about them even though you shouldn’t.’ I had to stop and think about that for a minute because truth is… we should still care about them not matter how they treated us. We don’t have to like them but we should love them. We should love like Jesus loved us. He hung on the cross praying for those who hung him there dying not only for my sins but those who hung him there too. We love because he loved first. I ask myself today, can I love like that?
‘Love has little to do with feelings and everything o do with selfless, humble thoughtful care for another person.’ – Live Second
Can you imagine our world if we did not have love? What would be our purpose of living?
Today is Christmas Eve and as you are going about your Christmas celebrations today and tomorrow please remember what Christmas is all about. Christmas is about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the greatest gift of all and He is love and once we accept the gift of his salvation we are redeemed and forever saved! If you put him first in your life and I promise you you will never regret it, your life will never be the same and you will have peace, love and joy forever and ever, that is love defined!
Thank you for reading Merry Christmas and may God bless you with his love, peace and joy this coming new year!
Do you want to know God? click the picture for more information
Do some last minute Christmas shopping and give a child the gift of your sponsorship this Christmas
Give an unsponsored child a gift this Christmas
#IASlovedefined
#itsaboutgiving
A Story By Me 
I still cannot leave a Like T, but will try another time, they are blocking me again, it seems to be with those I visit the most or they think I will but perhaps it’s a set up, they seem to want to hurt me, very sad for them or perhaps there is another reason ? anyway here is some smilies for your wonderful message of Love and compassion for our dear little ones 🙂 🙂 🙂 + many more smilies too!
I just have to share this with you T, my Funday School came to an early end, I hope to start it again next year, anyway I was sad thinking there would be no Christmas cards from any children to treasure this year, of course I now have Nayelies which is very special. A friend visited me from Sydney before Christmas and took me out to Lunch, Ron was with his family and as Yvonne and I were talking and eating a little 4 year old sitting at another table with her family who I did not know, came over and gave me a Christmas card that she had coloured in and then did another 2 for me …. How good is that! God does indeed give us our heart desires, He really cares.
God also knows your heart T, so who was it that went to Compassion’s Website and checked out the Children much more than once, God will never go against our free will He does not want us to do things just because we think we have to but from a willing and caring heart, which is what you have T. I knew that about you when I first met you but even if you were really mean, who am I to put you down, am I better then anyone else, yes I may not like what someone does or their hurtful actions but friendship is part of God’s Love and it is not genuine Love if we don’t like others but we may need to see our own plank first before we can see their good points and appreciate them and believe me I know without a doubt my weaknesses and shortcomings out number many others… I’m very much a cracked vessel but as I always say Thankfully God is the Super Glue.
Many Blessings for the New Year T – Christian Love + Like from both of us – Anne
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Hi Anne, I have been having the like issue also on some blogs but not all blogs, something I have noticed is that when I try to leave a like it will prompt me to sign in though I am already signed in. I have figured out that if i try to sign in at the like area it will not let me but if i sign in at the comments area I can then make a comment once I leave a comment it will allow me to leave a like, but never just a like.. odd isn’t it?? anyway maybe that is the same problem you are having? smiles are much better than a like anyway I like the smiles a lot 🙂 thank you so much for sharing your funday Sunday story also, it is so wonderful to hear how God had you covered in his love anyway what a wonderful gift 🙂 Thank you for all your encouragement and for saying what is on your heart I enjoy you sharing your thoughts and your friendship. Many blessings to you in the coming new year 🙂
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*I meant Funday School not Funday Sunday.
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Just testing T I signed in at the Like box now I have left a comment lets see if I can leave a Like
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No T, I still can’t leave a Like, so as you said smilies 🙂 are more fun anyway and I have animated ones, Wow I bet your coveting 🙄 I will give you the Link to them if you would like to leave them instead of Likes on Blogs, if WordPress won’t fix their equipment then they must not want anyone to use Likes and they have been told more then once and not just by me although they didn’t reply to my e-mail but they do read our comments, so they know or maybe they can’t fix it but then Dei’s is ok now , so they must be able to.
They could also just be very, sad, confused or evil people, 👿 seeking to cause problems for Christians. I have an Idea 💡 Maybe we need to wear a disquise 😎
OOPS! 😳 now they will know it is us, I really do dumb things sometimes, perhaps we should just have a good laugh 😆 about it and move on 😥 crying over Likes that are really Unlikes is pointless don’t you think ❓
Hmmmm that was fun! are you green with envy
just ask and I will send you the link.
See you soon – Love Anne
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lol those are cute! I found a few I will try here yes there are more important things to cry over than likes, thank you Anne have a blessed day! thank you for smiling on my post :))
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We sponsor a little girl from South America through Compassion. I just love receiving her letters.
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Hi Kristin thank you for stopping by 🙂 I am sure you child loves receiving your letters as much as your love receiving hers they are such a blessing!
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