Love God, Love Others

By the time this article is published, the opportunity to vote in the 2020 election will have passed, but the election itself might not be over. We may or may not know who will be the next President of the United States. What we will know and what we will always know is that God is in control, and God has a plan. But, what do we do with the turmoil here? The arguing? The finger pointing? All of the negative things that have been going on and that could continue, what do we do with that?  We look for the positive. We let our lights shine. We follow the two greatest commands. We love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We love our neighbors as ourselves. Put quite simply, and to quote the theme adopted by the youth group a few years ago: Love God, Love Others. What does that look like today? This past week, I had the privilege to record students reading their essays. Here’s what students had to say about how we should be treating one another:

· We say, “Thank you.”
· We smile.
· We support people. 
· We respect laws and other people’s opinions.
· No matter the color of a person’s skin; no matter how poor or rich they are; old or young; we support and honor each other.
· Our greatest threat is not from a foreign country, but how we treat each other.  Instead of finding ways to hurt others, we need to help them.
· Rather than isolating one another, we need to include one another.
· History will define us by how we treat the most valuable thing we have---each other.
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I am encouraged by the message the students are sharing and the example that they are setting. This week, take a moment during your prayer time and ask God for help to see the good. Ask God to show us how to be positive, to support one another, respect one another and show love toward one another.