packed house for a cause

Last night was a great night at Ebenezers! We were at maximum capacity and it was so cool to see that many people supporting such an important cause! I had only seen To Write Love On Her Arms at a Switchfoot concert so it was great to see them talk about their cause on their own tour.  There was great music and great discussion! At one point Jamie (the guy talking in the picture and the founder of TWLOHA) told a story that really hit me. He was meeting with someone he didn't really know all that well and Jamie was dealing with some stuff in his life and just started crying.  The guy he was meeting with looked at Jamie and said "I'm not afraid of your pain".  That's an awesome response and an awesome concept! We all have things in our lives that we would rather keep to ourselves, we all feel lonely at times, but to have someone say that they are not afraid of what you are feeling is such a relief!  Freedom was offered in that moment along with a profound sense of hope and love.  I pray we can all respond to those around us in that way...that we are not afraid of other people's pain.  He also mentioned a U2 song in which one of the lines says: "we get to carry each other".  It is a privilege to do life with one another...we should not feel burdened by those that God brings into our lives, we should feel blessed to walk alongside them. 

As I looked around the room last night and saw so many people there I thought about the fact that it is a privilege to be in a room with that many people. If you walk through life seeing those around you as a blessing instead of as strangers I think we will all live a little more intentionally and maybe our lives will feel a little more full. Instead of being in a sea of strangers, we are in a web of blessings...God created each person we come in contact with and he called us to community! We may not form life long friendships with every person we encounter, but at least we can say that their life is worthwhile because it comes from God! I think walking to work with a million other people every day on the streets of DC will be different now and my prayers will not be so self-centered if I see the world and the people in it in this way-that I get to carry them.