A Tangent in October

There is always something beautiful to be found in the forest. 

There is always hope for us.

You and I always have something to give.

There is always someone who needs you... 

Someone who needs your touch on their arm, your compliment, your words of encouragement, your smile, your laughter.

There is always someone who needs you to notice them.  

There is always someone to notice.

However.

Friend, your worth is not found in what you do for others.

You are not loved because you gave your attention, your care, your time, your strength, your money, and your belongings to others.

I cannot explain why, but whether or not we do good, we are perfectly loved.

I cannot explain why, but I can tell you how I know this to be true.

Something we must know about our situation:

Sin is against God.  God, being holy, cannot tolerate sin.  All of us have sinned.  Don't you see that no one deserves to be with God?

By taking upon himself and enduring the rejection and suffering every sinner deserved; by his own pain and with his own blood, Jesus rescued us from our fate.

We are saved by his death.

By his death he proved his unconditional love for us.  By his resurrection he proved he was God, and he conquered death.  Death, the separation from our Creator, and thus from love; death, the destroyer of our souls... 

CONQUERED.

You and I cannot reject the one who loved us and the blood he shed to save us... and still be saved. You and I cannot reject our savior's outstretched hand, and be saved.  If you do not take the gift of life he earned for you (since we could not)...  

You will forever be lost.

But if you do take the life he offers, there is NOTHING that will separate you from his love.

So, we are NOT loved according to how much beauty we contribute to the world.

And yet...

We have the gift of being alive on this earth, with thoughts, feelings, imaginations... each with a unique face, a unique voice, a unique perspective.  Each with the ability to touch other souls.  We actually cannot help but affect other hearts and minds.  And some will try to use their power (for it is power) to help the people around them know their worth; know that they are worth dying for.

"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19