Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The snow stopped falling last night and now gusts of wind are blowing it in every direction over the farm. As I sat in silence before the Throne of my Mighty God, the wind was howling and I was overwhelmed with gratitude to be warm and safe inside on this cold January morning. God used this bitter cold morning to Remind me of all those people not so fortunate and I wept as I considered their pain. Then He walked me down Memory Lane as a Reminder to me of the ones I’ve taken in from the cold over the years. Some needed a warm place to rest, but most of them just needed a Warm Heart, a warm hug… and maybe a warm meal and a warm cup of coffee. I thank God for Tenderizing my Heart and for Teaching me how to mirror His Compassion so that I can Love like He does…or at least about as good as any human can. It took a tremendous amount of pain to get me where I am, but it was all worth it because I learned how to open my Heart, my Life, and my Home to Share with those who just needed a little Warmth for a season… and I won’t be stopping on this side of Heaven. Isn’t that the way you share with the world too?

One of my friends used to tease me about people getting “stuck” with me while she jokes about me “doing something” to them to make them open up to me within minutes of our meeting. It’s all in good humor of course, but she admits that she’s in awe of how “people will tell you anything”. I’m not sure about people telling me “anything” but I am sure about a few things. Paul said “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” – so when I meet people where they are instead of trying to pull them into where I am, they melt. I am sure that when I look at them with all their flaws the way Christ looks at me and mine, they melt, and before I know it, total strangers begin to unravel their imperfect lives for me to see within minutes of our meeting….and more often than not they’ll end with “I can’t believe I shared that” of “I’ve never told anybody that before.” There’s nothing special about me that causes that to happen, BUT it is something that most people never experience. Some won’t because they wouldn’t want to be bothered with people coming to them for Warmth and others won’t because they haven’t found the Compassion part of their Faith yet…they still have some breaking to do. When people are eye-to-eye with a Compassionate soul, they feel it. When they are in the presence of Genuine Love they know it. When they are in a Safe Zone that doesn’t judge or gossip they sense it, and they can feel the Warmth as surely as I can feel the warmth of a fire on this bitter January morning. I don’t know what the conversations were like for Jesus, but I can’t help but believe they were a lot like mine. When people are inclined to open their hearts and show us their pain, THAT’S when we begin to Write the Right Prescription for a pain-free Eternity! Once we find their need…we KNOW we can fill it with Jesus Christ!

Getting people to open up comes at a cost that most people aren’t willing to pay. To get people to “be real” with you, you have to step down from your royal throne and “be real” with them. You have to be willing to be open about your Life, your sins, your trials, and your pain. If you can’t share what Christ has done for you and how far you’ve come in His Name, why would they believe they need Christ? Pride stops most people from sharing their own testimony…if you aren’t “real” then why would they want to be? Next, you have to exercise self-discipline and patience as they reveal what’s going on in life in their own way. No rushing, no interrupting, and NO judging! Lastly, you have to MAKE the time. In fact, you have to give them the impression that you have all of the time in the world and that there is absolutely nothing more important to you at that very moment than they are. If you ever get “stuck” with me, this is what you’ll feel…and THAT’S the secret to having the most amazing “real” relationships.

It may be bitter cold today at the farm, but it will never be cold in my Heart so people will always be inclined to “open up” to me. The way I see it is if the King of kings can Love me with all my flaws, wrongs, and all the shame of my past, then certainly I can Love other people the same way! I want to be like Paul – willing to do whatever I need to do, to “become” whatever I need to become to win some for Christ! If you ever get “stuck” with me you’ll know that I Care..you’ll feel the Love…you’ll recognize the Warmth of my Tenderized Heart…and before you know it, you’ll be having the most amazing Conversation you’ve ever had! You won’t have to ask me if I’m a Christian…you’ll know it by my Heart.

How about you?