Don’t tell anyone, but I consider people-watching an enjoyable hobby. Sitting on a park bench or at the airport waiting to board a plane, I delight in observing interactions around me. I see the small acts of kindness, grumpy moments of rush or worry, and emotions of sorrow painted on faces as creases of expression give the heart away. You can tell a lot about people just by looking closely, but you never know the whole story without taking the initiative to start a relationship. In relationships, we learn about the other person and ourselves, but it doesn’t end there. We are changed as stories intertwine and we become known and loved by one another.
Dr. Curt Thompson wrote in Anatomy of the Soul, “Yet it is only when we are known that we are positioned to become conduits of love. And it is love that transforms our minds, makes forgiveness possible, and weaves a community of disparate people into the tapestry of God’s family.”
God does more than people watch. He enters our stories through relationships and changes us into people of love as He lavishes His love upon us. This love makes us conduits of love that is meant to transform but love in its purest form is God Himself. The power of love changes us into the humanity that He wants us to be and as we are transformed the world is watching. So, children of God — that is what we are — let’s love, forgive, live peaceable lives, contribute to beauty, outdo one another in doing good, and count on the purity of His love to transform.
Jessica Klootwyk
Groups & Women’s Discipleship Director