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Writer's pictureSt. Luke's ELCA

I Love You - Happenings 11.9.20

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” -Colossians 3:12


This past weekend, I had the opportunity to spend some time outside in nature. For me personally, there is something so peaceful and healing in spending time out in nature. It helps me catch my breath from the chaos, it helps me step back and gain perspective, and it is physically and emotionally healthy to get out and move. I would highly encourage you to find what it is that offers these things to you in your life and do them as well. Honestly, I could write a whole article on why we should do such things, but I will save that for another time.


I want to share what happened when I was walking along a trail. As I was walking along I saw something on the trail, not an uncommon thing, there are leaves, bugs, snakes, sticks and multiple things on any given trail that roams through the woods, but this was different. Someone had taken twigs and broken them up and put them together to make the phrase “I love you :]”.

I was literally stopped in my tracks. Let’s be honest, there is a lot of divide, hate, and chaos in our world and current culture. This is not a secret, just open up a social media platform or turn on the news. In our current context, this hit me even more. I had hardly seen anybody the whole time I was out on this trail and I definitely did not see the person who made this, they did not know me and I did not know them, yet they were spreading love and kindness right in the middle of a trail in the middle of the woods.

Friends, this is what we are called to do. Maybe we are not all supposed to make phrases out of sticks in the woods, but we are to spread the light and love of Christ. Thomas Merton said “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.” So, let us go and clothe, feed, support, and welcome those who look, feel, think differently than us. We can bring kindness, compassion, and care into a world thirsty for it, and we can do this together.


You are loved, go love.

Jay Kiel




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