Love is Greater Than …Life through a lens of love and hope

<todays guest blog is provided by Bryan2…not to be confused with Bryan1>

What makes you feel better than anything else in the world? What makes you feel complete after you have completed it and you know you want to do it again?

The other night, I was watching the movie “Patch” with Robin Williams in it. The movie was a story about a doctor that opened up a practice to help people and be generous and change the way that care was provided. He believed that healing could be done with a little bit of good natured sympathy, compassion and friendship, for free. The institute was called the Gesundheit Institute, you know, like that word you never know what it means but you say it sometimes after someone sneezes? Yea that one. Anyways, he created this care system that changed the way things we typically done in medical practices in the 1970’s with a forty bed rural hospital in West Virginia. But your probably asking why is this here? What is he getting at.

What I so love about this movie is how it makes me feel to watch him help someone, it makes me feel awesome. Makes me feel like I can actually accomplish something. The reason why I bring up the topic of the movie Patch Adams, is because whenever I watch that movie, I want to be just like him. Most likely without the degree and people won’t ever have to call me doctor. Friend would be just fine. I want to make people realize how much this life we were given is worth. I want to be able to allow people to be themselves with me, to allow for them to open up just for that moment for them to let things go, and know that God is in control and that he has things planned for us.

I love life. I love what I was given and I try to do what I can with what I have. For about a year now, almost, I have been trying to tell myself and remind myself that things won’t always be so bad. God told us He will never put us in anything we can’t handle. This to me, is just a whole new level of confidence in the morning. Especially when you open your eyes to the power of the sun coming through the cracks in the blinds. It’s quite humbling to think that this guy that tells us there is nothing gonna get us down, created that. Grasp that for a moment. Got it? To me it’s like having Rambo tell me to not worry cuz he has got my back, but like time a trillion. If that makes sense…

Anyways, every morning I try to spend time searching for a way to make at least someone’s day. Sometimes it is hard I will admit. You sometimes have to allow for bad days for yourself where you just can’t seem to get the toast the right color or the sprinklers happen to shower you for the second time that morning. Life is just tough.

It is in those moments when I try to catch myself and think, what am I complaining about?

What’s so bad about waking up late for class? What’s so bad about not having my favorite brand of cereal in the cupboard? Why is it so bad when your internet isn’t working so I can’t get my emails?

I know about some of the situations with people in third world countries, but in no sense am I any kind of expert. But I do know somethings I can do to help. And I do know that there is never enough we can be doing even while we are complaining about our day.

I sponsor a child through Compassion International and I have been for abut over a year or so now. His name is Aldair. He loves top play soccer and with toy trucks. Thirty-two dollars a month. Nothing big. Basically just ordering a water for yourself when your at a restaurant instead of a soda with your meal. Not only saving you money, but healthier anyways. But the point being, I can’t travel the world and save lives and be the person everyone knows about as that one guy that saves peoples lives. I wish. But the measly thirty-dollars a month that basically changes this child’s life forever, is something people can know about.

Now though, when I’m waking up, I can now know that this child I’m helping is getting food, schooling, medical treatment, and most of all, the way I feel like I’m helping most, he is getting the love of Christ. He is being witnessed to. I received a Christmas card from Aldair. One of the only ones I got in my new apartment. But it was definitely the best one. He told me he has been praying and learning about God. Going to church. Gaining friends, godly friends. To me, I have just given this kid a great gift.

What are some things you spend money on? What are some things you wish you didn’t spend thirty-two dollars on? How do you help people?

I’m not the best at writing, and sometimes find myself just rambling on. But when Josh informed me about guest blogging, I thought and thought about something that has been tugging on my heart for some time and this has been there for quite a while. I’m not trying to come off as one of those guys that just wants you to help out because its the right thing to do. I want you to maybe think of me as one of those guys as one who wants you to consider because its a true life changing program, for you and the child you sponsor. I like to be that guy that makes people think the ‘What if’ questions. Maybe you have actually read this far. Maybe you just skimmed down here, but this is the part where you can go over and just read some testimonials and stories from people that may write a bit better than I. Just try it out. What if today, you saved a life?