today i had the special opportunity to volunteer at a facility called the randolph training center in coolidge, arizona. it's a campus of cottages where a group of wonderful, special spirits live....friends who experience a variety of physical, emotional & mental needs. all of the residents are 40+ years old & each is in a unique situation. my church's youth group, along with their leaders attended today to spend some one-on-one time with the residents. we sang songs and laughed and shared stories.
i will admit, i was nervous to attend, due to my own insecurities. those insecurities were completely swallowed up in the love i felt for [& from!] these people. and mostly, the love i felt for & from, my savior jesus christ.
i witnessed youth climb out of their shells to reach & give their hearts to these friends. some were unable to talk. some just wanted you to hold their hand. my heart swelled with love, as i watched 12-16 year old teenagers [boys & girls] put their arms around complete strangers, clap, sing, dance, serve, embrace and dedicate their hearts to something greater than themselves.
the couple i was assigned to were 60 year old brother & sister.. they couldn't speak & could barely move & had been in wheelchairs their whole lives. but the pure love of christ exuded from their eyes & smiles & changed something inside of me that i can't quite explain.
i've asked myself.....a few times this week....not neccessarily in doubt, but just pondering....why does god allow hard, difficult things to happen? why must this life be so scary sometimes?
i don't claim to know all the answers. but i believe that god doesn't cause, but merely allows the difficult things to happen, so we can fully appreciate the opposite: joy.
i felt so much joy in my heart today. suddenly, little problems & difficult dilemas i have been facing in my day-to-day life, were dissolved in the perspective that we are not alone on this earth. i felt god's love and presence in that auditorium today. i felt the his spirit confirm to me that he loves ALL his children on this earth, no matter what their circumstance. i know he is profoundly aware of each of us, even at times we perhaps don't feel it.
today i took with me the lesson of love.
love is what it's all about.
i'm so far from being an expert with the whole love thing.
and for that i am grateful i have the savior,
who is the master of love and the healer of my soul. ♥
