More Then Just A Face

     So today I went to some property we are renting out to clean up. We keep getting new renters, and each time they leave, they leave a HUGE mess. Garbage EVERYWHERE. It's disgusting and takes us days to clean up and truckloads of trips to the dump. Today I was cleaning out this huge storage container, and it was filled with boxes and boxes and random stuff. I kept finding these old picture albums filled with old photos.
     Two things hit me really hard inside.
     1. The fact that these people would just throw away these memories.
     2. The fact that these people were such slobs.
     We were burning everything that was burnable, and each album I threw in the fire, I felt so bad. These pictures, were more then pictures, these were peoples LIVES. And you could see from all the junk that was around, these lives were so torn apart. No, I don't mean the pictures themselves were oh-so-important. But it was the people in the pictures. I saw families, friends, brothers, sisters, grandparents. Broken lives. Lives of people who didn't know the truth of God's love.
     It really tore me apart and gave me this extreme burden to help these people. With each album I threw into the fire, I would pray for them. I wanted so bad to take each of those albums home, I don't know what I would have done with them. But I just wanted to keep them 'alive' somehow. I don't know if what I'm saying even makes sense. But each picture I looked at, I saw a face, a face of someone who was a stranger to me. But though that face was a stranger to me, that face wasn't a stranger to others. This person had family and friends. This person wasn't a stranger to God. This person was like me, a child whom God created in His image.
     I'm trying to figure out how to put into words what is going on in my head right now, and I'm having an extremely hard time.
     I don't know what else more I can say, because, it's something I can't explain. I have a deep longing to help these people. Help those people who's lives are so broken.
     How often do we pass by a chance to share the love of Christ with someone? How often do we see that cashier at SafeWay, and you can see the pain in their eyes? What do we do? Do we just make our purchase and continue on our way? We can make a difference. Even if we don't have the chance to speak aloud to whoever may be hurting, we ALWAYS have the chance to pray. Pray for them. Constantly.
      Galatians 6:2, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
     This is something that is super important to me in my life. I believe God is calling me to somehow help these people. Right now I don't know what I can do other then pray for them. I'm kinda more of an introvert, so it's super hard for me to talk to the cashier I see or too give encouragement to a stranger. But it's not impossible. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 
     My plea for you is this: Though it may be hard. Follow God's calling. Talk to that person who needs to hear God's love. Pray for that person.

     Matthew 25:35-40, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
 ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

 ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."