Get Lifted

This aging process is getting rough.  I'm buying more and more products to try to correct things that are clearly going wrong.  Moisturizers, serums, day creams, sunscreens, night creams, peels, etc.!  I wish I could just Photoshop my face!  In the midst of me venting about my mid-life crisis and wanting to Photoshop my face, my young, beautiful friend chimes in, "You can.  It's called make-up."  Huh?  Really?  So now I'm headed to my nearest Sephora store to start the next phase of correction - Correction 2.0 in full effect!

Unfortunately, the crisis is not always on the outside.  There are times when we have an inner crisis.  A spiritual crisis.  A soul crisis.  A heart crisis.  Where can I go to correct that?  Which aisle are those products on?  Psalms 138:8 says "The Lord will perfect that which concerns me."  Well Lord, this concerns me.  On those days when I'm content with my "photoshopped" face, but my spirit is in crisis, what do I do?

So many times we've used church as a pharmacy.  "Go to church and sing 2 praise songs and you'll feel better."  Maybe.  "Read your bible and memorize a scripture and you'll feel better."  Maybe.  "Sing an uplifting worship song with your hands raised (and hopefully a tear coming down the side of your face) and you'll feel better."  Maybe.  I don't know about you, but I've had days when none of that lifted me.  THEN I recalled the song my mother used to sing entitled Love Lifted Me.  One verse says, "When nothing else could help, love lifted me."  I have no idea who the author of this song is, but I am relieved to know that someone else had also reached a point where they felt like nothing else could help.

So how do we allow love to lift us when we're having a spiritual crisis?  We give is away.  Yep, you heard me right.  We give love away, and by doing so, it's like we turn on the faucet and become the vessel from which love flows.  It flows through our spirit and becomes the very healing we need by giving it away.  Find someone in need and give love away - a smile, a hug, a thoughtful gift.  Find someone who's hurting and comfort them with an encouraging word.  Find an organization needing volunteers and serve.  Have a cup of coffee with a friend who's lonely.  You will be surprised how the very love you're giving away heals you.  As Mama used to sing, "love lifted me" and I have a feeling it will lift you too.

Love Always,

Shy