Spurred on toward love

All week I've been reflecting on last Saturday's very first encouragement note drop.  It was such an amazing experience—most definitely one of the most meaningful and fun things I have ever been able to do.  To me, hiding these notes for others to find felt like that same feeling you get when you've just given a loved one the Christmas gift that has been at the top of their list for months.  It was pretty AMAZING.   One of my favorite things was watching Candis, Chrissy and Ciara hide some notes at the library.  These girls sought out specific book titles and put cards that might be relevant to the type of person reading the book (a fun example: a book about pregnancy got a note that said, "Dang, you look good!")  Such creative and thoughtful placement of these simple notes.  I love love loved it! 

Last weekend we spent time hiding notes for other people to find, but in the end, it served as a blessing and encouragement to me.  Doing small things for others has a big benefit!  For me, it helps to put life in perspective: People should always come first.  Not work.  Not cleaning the house.  And definitely not Facebook or Twitter...Actual real people that I encounter in my day-to-day routine.  We all have hectic schedules and experience our own breed of chaos with each passing day (or hour, or minute...) so it can be easy for me to cop-out—keep my head down and not engage with others because I've already got so much else going on at that particular moment.  But I have found that if I actually try taking just a few minutes out of the day to say something kind to a coworker, provide a warm smile and a "Hello" to a stranger on the street, or even hold the door open for that sweet little old lady at the market, the rest of my day is impacted in a very positive way-it's like getting a big spiritual hug from the Lord and passing it along to someone else; and there's nothing better than that!


I came across these verses this week and thought I'd share:

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.                       -Hebrews 10:22-25

Have you ever been encouraged by a friend or loved one (or even someone you did not know)?  How did it make you feel?  I'd love to hear your stories!!


Oh, and there's still plenty of room if you're interested in doing your own encouragement note drop!  Just shoot us an email at ShareLoveEverywhere@gmail.com 


Have an awesome weekend, and take some time to love someone!
xoxo,
Ashley