About a life.

I know we all have--at some point or another--had issues with this: struggling to find words to convey our thoughts at a particular moment. So here, for a lack a words, I'll give a little bit of space for God to fill those blanks through me: ____________________________________________________________________________.

Okay. Let's see how this goes.

A thought first entered my mind a couple weeks ago on my way up to Colo. Springs. As our bus made it's way on an elevated highway it overlooked an entire community. It looked a little something like this--

--(except a bit smaller).

As we overlooked the scene, only one word came into my mind: Lives. We have a tendency to view a large expanse of land, with its hundreds upon hundreds of homes, all with a quick glance...On a typical day, we catch eyes with who-knows-how-many faces...drive on the same road with how many strangers?...make small talk with however many lives...

And yet, do we really think about a life?

I don't really know how things enter into my mind, but as I studied a vast array of bright lights my eyes focused in on one house. And I wondered what is taking place over there at this moment in time. I persumed perhaps a couple watching a romantic comedy, or maybe twin boys fighting over the xbox controller. Could it be a mother placing a wet towel over her daughter to calm the fever sweats, or maybe a teenage girl doing a bit of Facebooking? Or she might be composing a piece on a piano, perhaps texting that guy her parents don't approve of, maybe writing a letter to brother in Iran, or even kneeling down in worship.

Whatever it may be, she's living her life.

I still don't know exactly what it is I'm trying to say, but all I know is that literally everyday we see/encounter numerous individuals, and leave it as just that; we move on. We see someone and just go back to our own little worlds of stress, love, issues, laughter, pain, and contentment. How often do we take the time to realize that while we're living our life, someone else has got one too?

Our worlds may bring us something that just seems like far too much to bare, when someone somewhere has got a weight on their shoulder too. Doesn't matter if it's "larger," "not as big," or "soooo similar;" it is a weight nonetheless.

As we've all have acknowledged with great sorrow, this morning (technically yesterday morning for me!) I woke to find a tragedy in the Eastern hemisphere. And just as the incredible Jesseca described, it brought me back to think that while I was sleeping, someone's life was shattered. And I just don't know what to say.

This evening my dad and I sat outside on our porch and were quiet for some time. I just kind of looked at the blue/pink sky and thought of how still and quiet the whole world seemed. And then I remembered that it's that way in my life, but hundreds of thousands aren't experiencing the same thing at that same second...

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.

Now remain in my love"--John 15:9

He loves ME. My life. And each and every other existence that has ever lived. Now all I can do is remain in that... My challenge to you is to make a dent in a life. I'm not saying that we can just get up and change a life in a day (kudos if you can), but acknowledge someone else's life in some way. I don't know exactly how it might work for you, but it is a life as important as your own.