As I get closer and closer to becoming a parent, I am continually pondering what the most important lessons to teach my child will be. One of the things nearest to the top is to love others.
One news story today has re-instilled the importance of this truth for me. Antionette Tuff is a beautiful, brave, and kind-hearted woman who talked a shooter out of harming a school full of children. The thing that touched me most about this story is that she told the perpetrator that she loved him. She knew nothing more about this man than the fact that he was unstable and he had come into an elementary school with a gun. But she talked to him calmly, and told him she loved him. Speaking about the incident later, she said, “I realized at that time, that it was bigger than me. He was really a hurting young man, so I just started praying for him.”
The world is so full of hate today. The news is constantly feeding us stories of disaster and pain that can easily cause hatred to grow in our hearts. I want to challenge us all to work harder to turn away from that hatred, that callousness and bitterness of heart, and to love others. Love them enough to give them the benefit of the doubt. Love them enough to help them. Love them enough to help them love themselves.
I firmly believe that love will do the most to make this world a better place.
Click here to see the entire story about Tuff’s bravery and love.
I AM IN AWE OF YOUR HUMILITY AND THE GLORY YOU GAVE GOD! YOU HAVE TOUCHED SO MANY LIVES WITH YOUR LOVE AND FAITH! THANK YOU!!!!!!