"By this all people will know that you are my disciples..."

...[I]f you have love for one another."
                                                              - John 13:35, NASB

     This one verse has been going through my mind a lot lately. Is this what we are really known for now? How come that's not the case? How come love isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Christians? Does nobody see all the good Christians are doing in today's world?

     Truthfully, there are many long-winded answers to this question spanning a couple millennia so I'll spare you all that read. The fact of the matter is that modern day Christianity is NOT known for it's love for people, and, frankly, that needs to change.

    Now the point of this post isn't to try to start of "revolution of love" or "rally the troops." It's more to just reflect on what's been happening in my life lately. This verse hit me a few days ago when I was just waiting for the train to show up at the station near my house. In case you didn't know, I was given the opportunity to interview for a job with the Boston Red Sox for this upcoming season. This whole process has been a incredible adventure, and finally came to an end this past Saturday. So here I am, just sitting at a train station when it hit me, "What would it be like if I tried to show love to the people around me?" I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that not a minute later I was given an opportunity. And not thirty minutes later it happened again! And again!

    To be honest, I don't believe that once I had that thought God just decided to shower me with people who needed my help. Rather all God did was open my eyes to the people around me. It was a sobering feeling, as well as an overwhelming one. How could I have not shown love to these people yet call myself a Christian? Simply put, I couldn't. But now? The whole world looks different to me. It's refreshing, and my friends say they see a difference in me. I'm noticeably happier.

   So in short, I think the way we change this negative stigma is to just love the people around you. Everyone hurts. It's part of the human condition. But not everyone loves. Jesus Christ knew the significance of this when He gave out this commandment, and I think we as Christians should daily ask God to show us how to love the people we come into contact with that particular day.


Noel