How often do we shrink back from really trying to live a 100% truly Christian Life because we get to a point where we say : “If I really want to go through this, I have to change some things. I’m not ready to quit my job because the things that I am doing or the things that my company supports are wrong. I’m not ready to change my views on abortion, or racial equality, or splitting up families, to match what our Lord teaches about the importance of every human life. I’m not ready to accept and love my neighbor who thinks a different way than I do. I’m comfortable where I am at, so go away with that nonsense that I don’t agree with or want in my life, and allow me to live in ignorance.”

What will be the reaction of the mourners at our funeral? Will they comment on your physical or your spiritual beauty? Their reaction will speak volumes not only about how you will be remembered in life but also in death.

Planting good seeds, watering them with a hug, these are the types of moments that can take a hardened soil and soften them for something Divine to come and transform the field.

For those of us who weep at funerals, we know that the real tear-jerking moments are the ones where we watch the family approach the casket for the final kiss. Our hearts pour out to them with our own tears, not because we are thinking about our own death, but because we are reaching out of love and compassion for them.

An election in November will not change the world. Angry protests and rioting will never have a unifying effect. Position papers, blogs, and news articles will only harden hearts rather than soften them. The ONLY response to evil, to division, and to darkness is unconditional love of our enemies.