Strangers

Watch this:

"Strangers"

I wish that I could leave this video as it is, with no explanation needed. However, this IS an assignment, so here goes everything I've got. 

     The first time I watched this video, it was at a youth retreat in November. The weekend we spent up north was incredible, and a lot of time and effort was put in to making the weekend a great experience for everyone. Of all that went on that weekend, the three minutes and thirty-three seconds I spent watching this video were probably some of the best minutes.  It's such a simple message, and I think that's the reason it caught the attention of so many. 

     The phrase "going deeper" is used often in church circles, whether that means reading your bible more, praying more, or just being a "better Christian". But, I think everyone gets too caught up in checking tasks off their "Christian List", or exhausting their brain trying to find the "hidden meaning", that we miss the simple message that's always been there. 

Love

     I'm reading (another) book called "The Misunderstood God" by Darrin Hufford, and in it, he mentions the ever famous (or infamous) 1 Corinthians 13. You know, "love is patient, love is kind". That one. We've all heard it. He suggests replacing the word "love" with "God", because if God is love, they're interchangeable. Take a look, it's pretty awesome:

God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, He does not boast. He is not proud. He does not dishonour others. He is not self-seeking. He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. God does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  

Cool Eh? If we want to live like God, and long to be more like him, read the passage above a few more times. That's a pretty good place to start. There is no secret code, or special manual to follow. Being a christian isn't about  good deeds, or church attendance. It's about a raw, radical love that I'm still trying to comprehend. But hey, you've got to start somewhere, right? 

    Just as the video above mentions, we never know how our actions are going to affect other people. Every person has the opportunity to be unbelievably influential just by simply living. If you've never thought of that before, take a second to understand what that means. Your life can, and probably has influenced so many other people's lives and decisions just by simply being you.  So give 'er a try. Live a little. Love a lot. Be a stranger.