Devotions from tobyMac - Eye On ItSample

Speak Life

When the sun won’t shine and you don’t know why / look into the eyes of the broken hearted / watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope you speak love / you speak, speak life
--TobyMac

For a follower of Jesus, isolation is not an option. We are called to live in community with others, to be salt and light. And every interaction we have with someone else matters, because the way we treat them communicates something about who they are to God. 

So when we respond to those around us with impatience we subtly communicate that they aren’t valued. When we take the time on the other hand, to listen, to try to understand—when we respond with graciousness, with interest, with empathy, with kindness—we give others a small glimpse of their own eternal worth. 

Being the body of Christ in this world isn’t very often about the big, dramatic moments of life. Instead, it’s played out every day in every little interaction we have with everyone we come into contact with. Like it or not, we are always ambassadors of the kingdom of love. It’s a 24/7 endeavor. We are to bring the love that was lavished on us into every little moment we inhabit. 

And that doesn’t happen by accident. It requires choices. It requires obedience. Because one day we feel on top of the world and it’s easy to be nice to everyone. And the next day we feel like we’ve been punched in the gut and we just want to be left alone. The point is, we don’t always feel like stepping outside of our own comfortable little bubble and engaging the people around us in a way that reflects the love God has for them and the worth he places upon them.

And yet, regardless of how we feel, that is the mission we are tasked with. So daily we must pray for grace, take up the cross, die to our own feelings, and embrace our call as stewards of the words of life. When we do so, we give love, we offer hope, we speak life, and we leave those whose paths we cross with a greater sense of their own eternal worth.