There's an art to being still. Especially in the midst of a storm. But when you make your stand, and you are standing on the Rock that is God--that is LOVE--it gets a little bit easier. Because love cannot be shaken. Love lasts forever. Love endures. But what love DOESN'T do is demand its (HIS) own way. And that's where it gets a little bit tricky. Because we seem to view love through a lense of "deserve." When the truth of the matter is, deserve's got nothing to do with it. If you only love people who YOU think deserve it, then you really aren't loving ANYBODY at all. Because if there's one thing we, as a species, are good at... its disqualifying. Finding reasons why people--and, more tragically, ourselves--don't deserve good things. We want good things. We hope for good things. We try to earn good things. But at the end of the day we are with ourselves all of the time. We know the worst things we've ever done. And even if we don't specifically know the worst things other people have done... well... we can imagine. So we don't think ANYBODY deserves love. Certainly not the selfless, sacrifical, agape love of God. Even though the Bible makes a point of telling us just the opposite. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). When God wanted to show us what He was all about--what LOVE is all about--He went to the cross and He gave His life for us. When we couldn't offer Him anything... He gave us everything. He didn't worry about whether or not we had earned it. He didn't worry about whether or not we deserved it. He just loved us. Plain and simple. Because that's not just what God does. That's who God is. That's His nature. And He gave that nature to us. When He gave His life FOR us, He also gave His life TO us. So that we could live His abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life as HE lives it in us, and through us, and as us. And that's the key. We make our stand ONLY because He is the One who keeps us from falling. We can be still and know that He is God ONLY because He has given us His perfect peace. Philippians 4:7 says it like this, "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Did you catch that? His peace passes understanding. Its not supposed to make sense. When everything is falling to pieces but you KNOW that its really falling into Divine Order (or revealing itself to BE in Divine Order), that's when you can be still. That's when you can stop trying to fix everything. And I'm not saying you shouldn't ever try to fix things. Some things can only be fixed by YOU. Some people can only be reached by YOU. And in those cases, if you don't do it... who will? But don't try to do everything, or you won't be able to do anything. And the second thing I want us to see is that Jesus' perfect peace is what keeps our hearts and minds. His peace is what centers us, if I can say it that way. So we don't have to run around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to do it all. Or trying to be someone we're not. We can just be who we are. We can just be still. We can let the love that's inside of us come out. Naturally. I said there's an art to it. Well, the paint that makes that art is love. Love in all of its (HIS) colors, and shapes, and sizes. So be still. Know that HE is God. Let HIM keep your heart and mind. Let love do what it does and be who it (HE) is!

We seem to think that the harder we try, the more we'll accomplish. Which, I guess, makes sense to the carnal mind. And I'm not saying we shouldn't try hard. I'm a big believer in maximum effort. But I also believe that love IS the maximum effort that you can give. Love is giving everything you have and everything you are. I always say, "Do your best and forget the rest." Give it everything you've got and it'll either be enough... or it won't. And either way you'll have a clear conscience. Because you will have done what you could do. So that's not what I'm talking about here. What I'm talking about is how seem to think more is more, when the truth of the matter is, sometimes LESS is more. Sometimes its harder to do nothing than something. But sometimes the situation requires you to do nothing. Sometimes the situation requires you... to be still. But that can be so powerful. If you can keep your head when everyone else is losing theirs... I'm telling you. Powerful. Watch how much: "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:37-39). Storm's a raging all around. Boat might could be sinking. Where's Jesus? Sleeping. In a literal posture of rest. Not a care in the world. Not worried about nuthin'. Because He knew that the fire in Him was hotter than the fire He was in. He knew what was inside trumped anything that could possibly be outside. HE was calm, and He was able to spread that calm. HE was at peace, and He was able to spread that peace. He didn't panic. He didn't run to God crying about how big the storm was. But there's another way to look at this, from the disciples' point of view, in which they DID run to God when they had a problem, and I think that's the correct thing for us to do. I've heard it said, "Don't tell your God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big your God is." And I get that. But I also think its a good idea to cast your cares on Him. To call on the name of the Lord and be saved. Let me say it like this: "And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward" (Exodus 14:13-15). See? You go forward by standing still sometimes. You let God in on what's happening, and then HE happens. In you, and through you, and as you. You be still, and you know that HE is God, and then HE does what He's going to do. Which means YOU do what YOU'RE going to do. Which means letting the love--the God--inside you come out. Not by trying to hard, but simply by letting the Word become flesh. Simply by acting in love. God is exalted when you be still. When you keep your head, and your peace. When you release that peace. God is exalted... when you receive and release His love. When you give what you've got. When you be who you are in Christ. Which is who Christ is in you. Which is not just someone who is loved... but someone who is LOVE!

In order to be still and know that HE is God... you kind of have to be still. And I'm not necessarily talking about not moving--although that can help, in some instances. I'm talking about being calm. I'm talking about how powerful it is when everybody else is losing their heads but you can keep yours. Trusting in God, in other words. Knowing that you don't have to do it all. And you don't have to do it all yourself. About fifty times a day I work I think to myself, "I can do anything, but I can't do everything." And the things I can't do... I just let them go. I don't get all worked up about things I can't control. Which, for the record, is MOST things. You can't control what goes on around you. All you can really control is how you react to what goes on around you. I think it was Captain Jack Sparrow who said something along the lines of, "Your problem is not the problem. Your problem is your attitude about the problem." Let me say it another way, "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Peter 3:4). When that hidden man of the heart is on display, that's when the second part of our key verse for this Rant series takes center stage. Because the first part is "Be still, and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10). But the second part is, "...I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." And, contrary to popular belief, God is not exalted when we try to cram Him down people's throats. At best, when that happens, they will run FROM Him instead of TO Him. At worst they choke on Him. Nothing good comes of it though. When we try too hard we generally make things worse. Helping or hurting, right? Well, running around like chickens with our heads cut off never helps. It surely can hurt though. So stop trying so hard. Even--and I've Ranted on this many times--"What Would Jesus Do?" First you have to try to figure our what Jesus would do. Then you have to try to do that thing. Which, to me, is entirely too much trying. Just be still. Trust in Him to do what HE'S going to do. That's what the "know that I am God" part means to me. You don't have to everything. Did I already say that? Believe it. You don't have to do everything. Saying no is ok. As long as you are following your heart, and doing the things you do because they are in your heart to do them, I believe you will be ok. Its the difference between trying to swim upstream, and letting the river of life flow through you and out of you. Its the difference between trying to get something, and enjoying what you've got by sharing it. By giving it away. That's what love is; giving everything you have and everything you are. But look at 1 Corinthians 7:17 real quick to close this Rant out: "But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches." Don't try to be someone you're not. Stay in your lane. As a famous football coach is fond of saying: Do YOUR job. Don't worry about what other people are doing all the time. That'll wear you slap out. Just walk in YOUR calling. Just be who YOU are. Keep calm and love people. Be still and know that HE is God. Be still and know that God is love!

One of the hardest things to do in life is what the Bible says in Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Be still. Stop trying so hard. Stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to earn love and acceptance. Stop trying to be someone you're not in order to get something you think you haven't got. Just be still. And here's a really hard one: Stop trying to follow in Jesus' foot steps. Because nobody can live Jesus' life except Jesus. But, then again, Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). Almost sounds like Jesus was telling us to take the ball and run with it. To emulate Him, and to even take it a step further than He took it. But here's the key, "Because I go unto my Father." Because when Jesus went to the Father... He also took up abode in all of us. No longer was it just God WITH it, it was suddenly God WITHIN us. He didn't leave us comfortless, but gave us His Spirit. The Holy Spirit. The love receptor. The Spirit of truth that leads and guides us into all truth. The truth that God is love and He loves you. The truth that you don't have to be somebody you're not. The truth that you don't have to do in order to be. The truth that you ARE loved and accepted. And look at how the Holy Spirit leads us into that truth: "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" (John 15:26). Jesus went to the Father, and the Holy Spirit came from the Father. To testify of our true selves by testifying of Jesus. Because He IS our true self. Jesus is God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. That's who we really are. And that's why we don't have to try to be someone we're not. Who we are is good enough. The trick is knowing (and believing) that we are who our heavenly Father says we are. The trick is knowing that we are His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Knowing (and believing) that we are loved... and because we are loved... we are love! That's the truth of the matter. The ultimate truth of the universe. That's what we stand on. And that's how we can be still. We don't have to run around trying to be someone we're not. We don't have to fight against anything. We can--listen. Love never fails, right? Because love never gives up. Love endures. No matter how many times we reject Him, He has sworn to never leave us nor forsake us. Like I mentioned the other day, every time the people of Israel turned back to God, He was right there. So when you're making your stand... stand. Be still. Let what's inside come out, instead of trying to get something. Love is never about getting, because love IS giving. And you have what you need. You are who you're supposed to be! So be still!

I'm not saying you should never make a stand. Quite the opposite in fact. I'm simply saying you should stand FOR something, instead of always being AGAINST every and any thing. And I'm saying, if you ARE going to make a stand... stand on the Rock. Stand in grace. Stand in love. I want to use one of my favorite memory verses to close out this Rant series. And I've noticed two things recently: 1. Even though almost all of the memory verses in the Bible are my favorite... my absolute favorites--like the one about how those born of God cannot sin, for example--are ones that I NEVER hear preaced. 2. This is one of those. Jude 1:24, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." It seems like we've built a theology on the art of picking ourselves up. And there IS something to be said about that. My Bible case proclaims, "God allows U-turns." And I always like to add that not only does He allow them, but I think He encourages them. Another way to say that is, "Its never too late to correct a mistake." Which is important because it seems like sometimes we make that mistake, and then we build on it. Like a snowball rolling downhill it just gets bigger and bigger. Worse and worse. Like when you lie to cover up something you did wrong. And now the wrongs are just piling up. And we see this over and over and over again in the Old Testament. The people of Israel would mess up, God would "punish" them (and I put that in quotations because generally speaking it was the natural consequences of their actions that they were blaming God for), and then they would turn back to Him when things got unbareable. But its like prayer. We want to use prayer as last chance instead of first choice. We wait until we're in the thick of things to cry out for help. And listen, I'm not saying you shouldn't cry out for help. If you need help... cry out. Don't suffer in silence. But what I'm trying to say is, if we hadn't waited so long to include God in our plans maybe we wouldn't need Him to rescue us. Another way to say that is: "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37:5). Or, again, having faith in the One who can KEEP US FROM FALLING. Isn't that an awesome concept? Because we've already been reconciled to Him. We don't have to keep falling so that He can keep picking us up. He WILL keep picking us up. But how much better--what a more excellent way--to just let Him HOLD us up? And, by the way, that's how we make a stand. Because when Jesus is holding you up, nothing can drag you down. When we lay aside the sin and the weight that so easily besetts us, that's when we can walk in newness of life. When we stand firm, with our strong foundation of love holding us up, that's when we can be who we really are. That's when we can let other people be who they really are... and still love them. And when you love someone even when they're not doing what you want them to do... man... that's what love IS. That's what Jesus did when, even though we were sinners, He died for us (and as us) on the cross. He showed us love. He showed us HOW to love. He holds us up, and that's how we stand!

If you're going to make a stand... make sure its worth it. Don't give your three t's (time, talent, treasure) to things that don't deserve them. And, to be perfectly clear, I'm NOT talking about people here. Because I believe there are only two things that ARE worth it--God and people. Love God, and love people. Love God BY loving people. And I'm not saying things like, keeping the earth clean and liveable, for example, AREN'T important. I'm simply trying to say, when you choose to stand for something, make sure you're standing FOR something, and not AGAINST something. It seems like all we ever want to do--especially in the church world--is fight against things. People ask us what we believe in and all we can come up with is things we don't believe in. But always being on the attack is exhausting. It'll wear you slap out. And it'll wear out everybody you come into contact with. You know those people... where you have to sigh just thinking about how much energy its going to take just to be around them. Well, don't be that guy. Don't think you have to fight every battle. Jesus went to the cross and won the war to end all wars. Which means... an end to war. The only fight we're supposed to fight is the good fight of faith. Which is laying hold of eternal life. Which is the gift that we've been given. So we're not fighting to get something. We're fighting to believe--faith--that we have something. We're receiving and releasing the gift we've been given, and in that way we're experiencing the gift we've been given. Let me say it this way, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber" (John 10:1). Jesus is the door. His rest is the sheepfold. He did the work, so that we could enjoy the fruit of His labor. OUR "work," if I can say it that way, is to BELIEVE that He finished it. Again: The good fight of faith. And when Jesus said, "The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10), the thief He was talking about... was us. When we try to get into the sheepfold any other way but the door. Because we rob OURSELVES of the gift we've been given when we try to get it any other way but simply receiving it. That's the stand we ought to take. What's the old saying? "God said it, I believe it, that settles it." Right? Something like that? And while God saying it settles it completely... the truth can only set you free and make you free if you know it and believe it. So when we're "building" our house, or rather taking up abode in the house that Jesus built, we need to know that it is built on the Rock that is Jesus. That is grace. That is love. That's where we stand. That's what we stand on. That's our foundation. That's where we live. So when you are confronted with something... make sure you're where you're supposed to be. Don't attack. Don't waste your time, talent, and treasure trying to fit a square peg into a round hold. Some things ARE out of your control. Deal with it. Let go and let God. And the things that you CAN control... do it in love. Do it WITH love. Don't worry so much  about what you haven't got. Just give what you have got. Because what you have got... is what you need. Its love!

I didn't quite get to quote my memory verse yesterday, so I'm going to do it right from the jump today. "He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock" (Luke 6:48). Now, I want to put it out there right away that Jesus is the Rock. And the Man who built the house. Its all Him. But for our purposes today, my point is: Where your house is, is where you live. Where you can be yourself, if I can put it that way. And I see this all the time: people act differently depending on who they are with. I don't know if I'm too stubborn, or too... whatever... but that never made sense to me. Like Popeye, I yam what I yam. I don't know how to be anyone else. But there's a warning in Ephesians 4:14 that goes like this, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of me, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." Because that's what the world does--it accuses us, and lies to us, tries to deceive us and get us to be someone we're not. Tries to get us to play its game. You know, the one that says you have to do in order to be. The one that says you have to perform in order to get what you're longing for. And let me just say this: A while ago Logan wanted to buy a book from the store. So he shoveled snow until he earned enough money to buy it. That's ok. That's good, and right, and proper. Because when it comes to things like that, you DO have to put in the effort to get what you WANT. But that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about the basic human NEED of love. Of acceptance. Of forgiveness. Grace. Those are things that CANNOT be earned. Because those are the things that make up the GIFT of God. You know, eternal life. Jesus' abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of love. If you're trying to earn those things, you will always and forever be frustrated. Because those things cannot be earned. They are freely given, and must be received. That's that Rock that is our foundation. It (HE) is love. And, listen, sometimes you do have to dig down deep to find that love INSIDE YOURSELF. Because sometimes there's a lot of surface stuff in the way. The world screaming at you when all you long for is to hear that still, small voice of God saying, "I love you, I love you, I've always loved you. I WILL always love you." And when we get down to that level--by being still and knowing that He (LOVE) is God--that's when (and where) we can make our stand. That's when (and where) nothing can shake us. Because we're not running around looking for love in all the wrong places. Because we're finally home. Revelation 21:3 in the Message Bible says, "I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God."" We are His home even as He is our home. We live in love because love lives in us. We don't have to be someone we're not to get something we haven't got. We can be ourselves and let what's inside come out! And to me, that's the best place, and the best way, to make a stand. In grace. In love!

I'm a pretty peaceful guy. But I DO have a line. And if you cross that line... you get what you get. Which is to say, I'm not out there trying to be against every and any thing. But I AM for something. And that line, that something, is my kid. My family. I'll defend them to the very end. And that doesn't mean I'm blind to the fact that even though my son is VERY well behaved--getting in trouble is the thing he tries the hardest in life to avoid--sometimes he doesn't do what he's supposed to do. He's six. He gets a little rambunctious sometimes. Gets caught up in what's going on around him. And when that happens, I set him straight. I help him recalibrate. But my point is, and my heart is, the line from Men In Black, "Don't start nothing... won't be nothing." I don't understand people who thrive on drama. Who stir the pot just so something will bubble over. I don't understand religious folk who want to attack, attack, attack. I thought it was the adversary, or the enemy, who was the accuser. And I thought it was the peacemakers who are known (identified) as the Son(s) of God. So when you make a stand, like I do every single time when it comes to those I care about, make sure you're coming at it from the right place. And that place, as we saw yesterday, that place where we stand... is grace. Because, believe it or not, you can stand for what you believe in and still be graceful at the same time. You can draw that line and still be respectful of other people. I don't have to agree with you in order to love you. And I don't have to make you agree with me in order to believe what I believe. That was one of the best things my pastor ever taught me. And thank God he taught me that right when I was starting my ministry. Because I see people wear themselves slap out trying to change people. And that's not the job. The job, as a parent, is to train our kids up in the way they should go. And the job, as a minister... or really just as a human being... is to love people. To love the hell out of people. To let people be who they are, and love them anyway. And that CAN be love from a distance. Because you know by now that I don't believe we should ever put, or keep, ourselves in a bad situation. Turning the other cheek is one thing. Subjecting yourself to abuse is something else. I believe that love is giving everything you have and everything you are. So once you've given a situation, or a person, all you've got... its either enough, or its not. Sometimes making a stand is walking away. Now, to balance that, I believe that the people who are the hardest to love are the people who need it the most. So I'm not saying you should withhold love. Just the opposite. Love everybody. Love deeply. Make your stand on the Rock that is Jesus--that is love--and you will not be shaken. I was going to quote that today, but the Rant kind of got away from me. Maybe tomorrow. What I'm trying to say is this: people love in different ways, and people receive love in different ways. And sometimes you can reach people, but sometimes you can't. So as long as you're trusting your gut and following your heart, as long as you're standing in grace, and truth, and love... you're right where you need to be. So don't move. Be still. And know that He is God. Know that God is love. Stand FOR things instead of against them. Be FOR people instead of against them. And above all... stand for love in all you do!

I say this a lot: If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. And I think this is important, especially with the "religious" mindset that says we have to be against every and any thing. I've never met people more ready, willing, and able to fight than religious folk. And that bums me out. Because Jesus already fought--and won--the war to end all wars. He already took away the sin of the world. So why are we so often on a sin hunt? Why are we so ready to kick people when they're down? I want to say this as strongly as I can: The only fight I believe we are supposed to fight is found in 1 Timothy 6:12, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." And did you notice that the good fight is... faith? Laying hold of something. Being FOR something. Making a stand that says, "God is love, and He loves me. And because He loves me, I can love you." That's the whole deal of the whole thing. That's how we let Jesus live His eternal, everlasting, abundant, Resurrection Life of love in us, and through us, and as us. We receive and release the gift we've been given. We receive it BY releasing it. We lay hold of it. Because we already have it. We don't fight in order to get it. We fight in order to believe that we already have it. That's what faith is--believing that what God says is true in the face of any and every thing else. And that's important because the world screams its lie--that you have to do in order to be--at the top of its lungs. And God speaks in a still, small, voice. Did it ever occur to you that the Bible tells us to be still (and know that He is God) because His voice is still, and small? God--LOVE--doesn't demand its (HIS) own way. He simply makes Himself available to us. And I don't know why, but when I got the idea for this Rant series the thought on my heart was, "This is a good place to make my stand. This is a good hill to die on." And the verse on my heart was Romans 5:2, "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Grace is where we make our stand. And sometimes that can be a little bit painful. Because when you're graceful... people WILL take advantage of you. When you turn the other cheek, you just might get slapped on that one too. But, as my pastor once said, "If you go down swinging, you might not go down at all." If you're standing on--and in--grace, you're right where you're supposed to be. Now look, here's the warning again, sometimes when you give people the benefit of the doubt they WILL let you down. But I'd rather be naive than cynical. I'd rather err on the side of love than live a life of bitterness and distrust. And, as always, I'm not saying you should put yourself (or keep yourself) in a bad situation. But what I AM saying is: we can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And I did a Guerrilla Gospel video early today where I was talking about hope and glory. Christ in you, right? Well, when we make our stand in--and on--grace... when we make our stand in--and on--love... then we WILL have that hope fulfilled. That glory WILL manifest itself (HIMSELF) in us, and to us, and through us. And that's how its supposed to be. Fighting FOR something. Laying hold of something. Sharing what we've got. Giving it away. Living and loving. Living BY loving! That's how to make a stand!

Our new name is Jesus. Our TRUE name is Jesus. And that's not just something for people to call us. That is our authority--He is the King of kings. That is our character--He is the One without sin, the One who took away the sin of the world. That is our nature--not the selfish beast nature, but the love nature. And, as I kind of alluded to the other day in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new," there is complete transformation. Not only are we made free and set free by the truth (that we know) that says, "God is love and He loves you," but we are made new. We can lay aside the weight of the world that we so often carry around on our shoulders. We can stop letting our past define us. Our mistakes are not who we are. Jesus is who we are. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. That's what happened when Jesus was lifted up from the earth on the cross; He drew all men into Himself. And He planted Himself in all men. He gave us that golden ticket, that white stone, that is our admission into the Kingdom. Which, to me, is what it means to BE in Christ. Because the truth is the truth whether you know it or not. But if you don't know the truth you can't really enjoy it. If you feel like nobody loves you--even though that is the unbelief that I, personally, define as sin--you won't be able to love anybody. Because you can't give what you don't have. You'll be too busy chasing it. Or trying to earn it. Running around like a chicken with your head cut off looking for love in all the wrong places. But while that may be who you were (or who you thought you were), that's not who you are. You ARE loved. Unconditionally. By the God who IS love. And nothing can separate you from that love. Nothing you've done, and nothing you're going to do. Because, as the old country song says, "Daddy's don't just love their children every now and then. Its a love without end. Amen." And the thing is--when we need it the most is when we need it the most. Which seems like it should make a lot of sense, but doesn't always manifest that way. Because what actually happens is, when someone messes up our first instict is to judge them. To take a step back and make sure none of that nonsense gets on us. When what we should do when someone falls... when someone falls we should reach down and help them up. We should not judge by appearance, but we should judge righteous judgment. We should let people be who they are even as we let ourselves be who we are. We should let Jesus be who HE is, in us, and through us, and as us. We should fill ourselves to overflowing with the love that God has filled us with. Then we can give it away. Then it will come out of us... naturally. Then we can be our new, true selves. We can stop trying to be someone we're not and we can just be who we are. Who we really are. Which, again, is love!