The Power of Love
Love and its power are seriously underestimated. It is what so many people need and are so desperately crying out for. I have just spent two months doing an internship with Patricia King Ministries, both in America and Cambodia. Who were the people I met that seemed to be impacted the most? Ones who received healing or encountered Jesus for the first time were hugely impacted and filled up with joy. However, the people who seemed to be impacted the most were the ones who really encountered the essence of God’s love through us. They may not have acknowledged Jesus, but their eyes could not hide the huge impact that a touch of love had on them.
One girl, feeling trapped in a job that she hated, spent an hour with us, singing karaoke songs and dancing. She was not sure about Jesus, but we listened to her, empathized, smiled, gave her a gift and loved on her. At the end, she would not let go of my hand and kept hugging me, kissing me and telling me that she loved me. Neither of us wanted to let the other go; she was so impacted by being loved just for who she was.
On my way home I stopped off in Thailand. I have never seen someone’s eyes light up as much as one lady in the red light district of Bangkok when I told her how much God loved her and how this love was unconditional. She did not want to know about Jesus, but she could not hide the huge joy and light that filled her eyes. Each time I repeated to her how much she was loved, she just lit up.
One other girl God prompted me to talk to could barely understand me. I only spent a few minutes with her, mostly trying to smile God’s love to her. I felt prompted to give her my contact details and she messaged me constantly, to tell me she missed me and she did not understand why, but she could not stop thinking about me or my smile. It was God’s love and God’s smile that she was so drawn to. None of these people received a miracle or salvation, yet they seemed more impacted than many others who did, by really encountering God’s love.
What touched my heart the most? Was it the amazing teaching sessions, receiving prophetic words, seeing miracles and salvations? Although those things were all incredible, no it was not them. It was when someone showed me love. It was when someone hugged me when I was crying, when they gave me a voucher for a free coffee or left one out on the side for me. When they told me they loved me, having only known me for a week. When they cleaned sewage off my shoes, bought me a second lunch when the first one was a disaster. When they contributed to my doctor’s bill or made me a packed breakfast, knowing just what I would like. These are the moments that touched my heart and I remember the most.
What was the cost? Most cost very little, some were free, but they meant the world. They mostly cost some time and a motivation of love.
How wonderful that a few minutes of smiling, chatting and other small acts of kindness to show God’s love can have such a deep and profound effect on someone! How many more people could we touch just by stopping for a few minutes, to show them God’s love?
Written by: Carloine Harvey
Published on: 7/11/2017