What I want everyone to know...

I want to share something with you. It is raw and I'm probably going to mess it up but, maybe God can clean it up along the way.

YOU ARE LOVED!!

 Yep, that's it. Plain and simple.

Ok, here is the back story to why I'm saying that.
We were in Iquitos yesterday at the  Post office. Joel was talking to the security guard while I was renewing our PO Box. Lovely man, always has a smile and a kind word for everyone.
He was talking to Joel about his faith and how he felt he was nothing before he believed in Jesus. But, Carmen heard something different. She came over to me and was sharing that the guard had said something along the lines that a person was worthless or nothing without Jesus.
I immediately got defensive about this statement.  Because it simply is not true. Let me clarify this....

As I talked to Carmen about this and explained to her that God loves everyone; it occurred to me:
Do people not know this?! Doesn't everyone know that they are loved?

So I'm going to tell you: You Are Loved. Whether you believe in God or not..... He loves you. Yep, you don't even have to acknowledge him and he still loves you. He counts you among the most precious jewels in the world!
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.
It says:  He loved the world..... not certain people.....No the WHOLE world, everyone! Believers or not.  It seems to me many non believers dismiss this..... They seem to get angry and offended and hung up on the second part and I can see that it would be hard to swallow, when we can't grasp the first part. We can't wrap our brains around the fact that God (or some "higher being" ) could really and truly love us. So the thought seems to be that God doesn't love us unless we believe in him and do what he wants. And that is wrong! He loves everyone! First comes understanding and grasping His love; then you can start to understand salvation.
I am not trying to preach or argue for Christianity.
I simply think everyone should know they are loved. Every inch of you; every second of everyday; You are loved. Wether you want it, believe it, or like it; it is true and I think more people should hear this and know this.

That is all.
Have a great week.