All of these are truly what love is, but love is so much more! It’s a conscious choice to put aside my feelings and desires to focus on you. It’s an action to care for you more than I care for myself. This is so contrary to the idea of love we see around us. Yet, think about it. What if this kind of love presented itself everyday? What would our world look like? It’s a radical love. It’s a love that transcends all cultures and economic strata. This love could change our world.

So, how does this get you a gift? Oh, just sign up for my newsletter and I’ll pick a random person from the entrants to win an eBook copy of The One Who Sees Me, a story of the kind of love I’ve been talking about. Newsletters go out every other month or so, and give insights into my books, my life, tea, herbs, and more of what you find on my blog. Make sure to check out the other blogs that are participating.

This morning as I checked email, I saw a post to a friend’s blog called I Choose Love. I read through it and was surprised. I did not realize that the shooting at the community college was based on a profession of belief in Christianity. I did a quick Google search to get more information. My heart stopped as I realized that the life flights had flown into the same medical facility where I had had my doctor’s appointment. The caravan of officers were headed to the community college.

Around 9:00, an email came through telling us that my daughter’s college had closed the campus. Shortly after that, a school email came in saying due to a county wide threat, in the county north of us, that had been deemed invalid, we were on a lock in all day. When the message was relayed over the intercom, there was much commotion among the students. Living in a small area everyone knows everyone. Students knew about the event yesterday and details that I didn’t know. They also were concerned because a student had received a text asking if our school was a Christian school.

This whole thing was disconcerting to say the least. We live in a world where shootings happen, but they don’t happen next door to you or me. They happen elsewhere. We live in a world where Christians are singled out but not here in America. In America the debate rages about gun control and if that would help curb these shootings. However, it isn’t a gun control issue; it is a heart issue. It is a matter of what someone chooses to do with a gun. It isn’t the gun. You see despite the nice veneer we like to put on, deep down, our hearts are selfish and wicked. That is tough to say. It is only by God’s grace that we are able to love, forgive, and show kindness. It is the part of us that reflects Him that shows these attributes.

In these uncertain times, let us reflect the God-given attributes of love, kindness, and forgiveness. Let us choose love. Hug your family members tonight. Forgive those who have wronged you. Live with a clean slate. And pray for those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones, and for all those affected by the shooting at Umpqua Community College.