Change Your Relationships- Strangers

Late, late. I know. This 31 days thing is a lot of work when you're in school and battling a vicious virus. I wouldn't mind some get-well-soon prayers. I know that there are greater problems in the world and all, but my roommate is kind of convinced there's some kind of immaculate conception going on (to which I reply "If so God forgot to tell me!). I feel completely awful. My head hurts (well, make that my whole body), I'm tired, and I'm kind of grumpy now. So not a good combination for trying to love your hard to love neighbor. Since I'm kind of tired and really want to go to bed, I'm just going to post a snippet from Katie's book that really spoke to me as I read it tonight.

We need to love strangers. I'm not talking about in a creepy kind of way. I'm talking about loving them by meeting their needs. Much along the same lines as our neighbors, we should put their needs above our own. This is not optional- it's a commandment.

I believe there is only one truly courageous thing we can do with our lives: to love unconditionally. (Kisses from Katie, pg 251)


I want to forsake everything to remain in the center of God's will for my life, that I want to give up everything for the sake of the gospel. I believe with all my heart that nothing is a sacrifice in light of the promise that one day I will get to live with Him forever. I want to obey. I want to give my life away. The life I live is full and joyful and wonderful, but it is not easy. It certainly is not glamorous. I do not expect it to be. Sometimes I am so tempted to look back, but I do not want to. I want to only look forward to what He is going to do. I believe that the words of Jesus are absolutely true and apply to me, right now today. I want to give everything, no matter the cost. No matter the cost. (Kisses from Katie, pg 231-232)

Above all, we were called to love. We were called to love other people. This includes our family, our friends, our neighbors, strangers, and our Creator. We are called to live a lifestyle of love. Rather than condoning people we do not know, we should seek to love them- we should seek to love them unconditionally. We should seek to love them so that they can see the love of Christ through us. Katie has done this for each of her 14 children. She could not waltz into their lives and expect them to call her "Mommy". They did not know love. They did not know the love of an earthly father, so she had to show them the love of a heavenly father by meeting their basic tangible needs. Yes, it has been challenging. But, she has changed lives. Katie can show us how loving strangers can change our relationships with them and create a change within ourselves.