Chapter 7: Loving is our
Kingdom work
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another. – I John 4:11
Tears welling up in her large brown eyes, my friend looked
down as I approached her and said, “If you really knew me,
you would not want to be my friend.”
Attending a secular leadership conference with over 800
people by myself had made me quite shy. Yet, the first night I
attended this conference in a large hotel ballroom, a sweet
woman called out to me, “I have an empty seat next to me. Do
you want to join me?”
And so we began talking and from that night on, we sat
together. Over the course of the 4 days, we had talked and
shared some of our life stories with one another and we were
becoming real pals.
“Tell me all about yourself! I would love to know your life
story!”
And that is how one of my sweetest friendships began. My
new friend took the time to initiate to me. She actually showed
interest in my life and it opened my heart.
How surprised I was this morning of her tears and her
pronouncement that I would not like her if I really knew her. I
had been delighted to have her friendship in a crowd of
strangers.