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 It was just one of those days. 

There were more e-mails than there was time to answer them; the voice mail was filled with complaints and frustrations; and tension and dissonance were present at meetings throughout the day. 

The day was a hard day to pray during, and a harder day to be energized by the ministry. On days like this, we can find our minds considering the call and how it led to this moment.

I was tired, I was grumpy (most unusual for me), and I had enough.  It was just one of those days.
 
In the brief gap between appointments, I ran a long overdue errand to a friend?s home. As we exchanged pleasantries, she asked how my day was, and I shared honestly the condition of my spiritual state. 

As I witnessed to the sometimes frustrating elements of the ministry, her three children saw me, screamed with joy and ran to give me a hug. I am not much of a hugger, but on this day from these children, that was exactly what I needed. The hug was a reminder that I was loved, and all of us are better when we are loved.

Despite the state of my pastoral message for the monthly publication, the unprepared Bible study and the shelf of books to be read, I was shown that I was loved. The kids were not taught this by a Sunday school class, an amazing children?s sermon or creative Christian coloring picture, but they learned this by God?s grace. They gave the best response to the need of my moment, and they were taught this by God. 

Each of us reaches out to one another in love without need to be instructed to do so. We have all, hopefully, learned to offer others that pure simple expression of love. Even me, a reluctant hugger, will embrace a friend in the midst of the dark moments of life.

Doing so 'more and more' - loving one another beyond a hug - is more difficult. Walking with someone as they fail us, take advantage of us or lie to us is hard. That is forgiveness.

Picking up the person who falls again and again, standing with them as they face the consequences of bad life choices or habits of consumption and repeat the behaviors again is hard. That is hope.

Reaching out to a person in need, providing for sustenance deeper than just a cup of coffee or can of soup can be hard. But that is compassion. To do so more and more is the discipleship of Christ for which we strive.

We are called to reach out in love to others, to share the light of our faith to this world which is shrouded in the darkness of apathy, greed and selfishness. We have an opportunity to touch the lives of those we pass, to share forgiveness, compassion and hope, to share the love of God we know in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This world needs that Good News that God loves us all. For the truth is this - all of us are better when we are loved. 

The Rev. Bryant Oskvig serves Linden-Linthicum UMC in Clarksville