daySEVEN. ~ more encouragement

day SEVEN.
I love this. I love LOVE. I feel like when you love others--you fulfill what man was created to do. It's like the ultimate worship, the ultimate fulfillment. We were created with the aptitude and freedom to love and when we love the way God intended, we fulfill the intended plan and purpose of our lives. We are made to love God, to express love to God, to do things as an expression of love, in reaction to love--therefore loving others.

Today, is Thursday, and on Thursday I attend a Bible study called TAG (thursday adult group). After TAG, we dispersed on our separate ways, and I sought out a girl named Cookie. I find Cookie to be the type of person always thinking about things--cynically, inquisitively, tending to be on the less happy side of the optimism scale, but on the positive side this personality of hers causes her to challenge things and seek out change. She's recently been very concerned about her future and where she's headed, as she's not satisfied with her current place--and I don't blame her. Cookie hails from Nanjing with a major in Literature and now works as a teacher's assistant, which entails, making photo copies and running errands for her teacher. It's not something a young ambitious person would feel too settled in.

Anyhow...after the study I decided to catch up with her and check up on her vision for her future by taking the walk back to her dorm with her. She had been feeling overwhelmed and slightly discouraged, because she has this strong desire to start a special education program at the school, but she's finding yards and yards of obstacles staring her down. I listened to her as she told me some of the difficulties she'd been facing. I gave her some practical suggestions and tried to advise her on deciding for her future steps. Then I prayed over her and for her vision. I really pray that her vision--which speaks for the children with special needs (whom I believe are "the least of these" and are the ones Christ's heart breaks and yearns for)--will bear fruit. Christ calls us to love on the ignored and forgotten, and these are definitely children that need extra love. I encouraged her--and let her know that this was a really good cause, and definitely one that is in line with Christ's heart of compassion--I let her know that I would continue to support her and pray for her in her efforts and that I would continue to help her in laying out her long-term vision.

I'm inspired by her kind of love--love that loves the ones who are easily ignored and easily forgotten, love that loves the hard to love, love that loves enough to put self into action in the face of obstacles.