The world needs less of the love perpetuated by Hollywood and more of the real genuine love that is more about choice than emotion. Yes romantic love is wonderful, falling in love and feeling happy to be with someone is awesome. After the last 2 years individuals and communities are more than ever in need of love that goes the extra mile.
I saw this sign recently among all the other signs of people who are willing to work to help others but are being denied the opportunity. Among all the stories written on shirts and cardboard across many industries this one connected the most.
I don’t know if it’s a man or a woman, I don’t know if they are financially comfortable or barely scraping by. I don’t know if they have a supportive network of friends and family or if they themselves feel isolated.
What this sign tells me is they chose to put their life on the line repeatedly because they believed by doing so they were helping others. What this sign also tells me is that when they stopped being an active member of the military they didn’t stop serving the community. 2000+ Advocacy and Health Consults, and 150+ suicide interventions. Those 150+ people were loved by someone who would have missed them. I’ll probably never know what these 150+ went on to do with their lives.
“A greater love is needed a kind of love that isn't self-serving infatuated with the idea of being happy and one that can see the best in us when we cannot see it in ourselves. That's when we need a perfect love, one that is truly unshakeable, utterly selfless, fully committed, and able to give itself away so freely that we can live and truly know what it means to be loved” Darren Mulligan
Sadly the rate of suicide has increased dramatically in the past two years. So as wonderful as feelings of love are I want to encourage you this month to connect with people in your community more than you normally would. I know I’ve shared this before in a previous article but I feel it’s a good memory to again now share.
Many Christmases ago when I wasn’t doing so well myself I volunteered to spend Christmas lunch in a very hot kitchen plating up meals for people who had no where else to go, or not enough to eat a good Christmas lunch. I could have easily at that time been one of the ones sitting at one of the tables. Instead I chose to give and be for others what I could have done with myself.
There are many instances in our lives where instead of waiting for someone to phone us we can phone someone else. Helping others can be a great way of helping ourselves. If I knew who the unknown veteran was and interviewed them I’d be surprised if they didn’t back up this claim from their own experience. So who could you help this week that might not be expecting it? And if you are offered help by someone how willing are you to accept. Accepting help from someone may end up helping them more than you.
I was already composing this months article in my head before seeing that sign and before watching the below video of Darren Mulligan from the band We Are Messengers, that I want to leave you with. Seeing the sign that I photographed and hearing the words of Darren Mulligan confirmed for me the timeliness of this article. I pray it has encouraged you.
If you are struggling reach out to God, family, friends, professionals. Despite the current world we live in there is always someone willing to listen. I’m not a professional but if you have no one else my inbox is always open.
3 of Neville’s previous encouraging articles: