if Christ's love really is in us, is it showing?

Last weekend, my family and i drove to Asheville to visit the Biltmore House. visiting the Biltmore House is super fun...if you are into history, which i am NOT at all!! so it was pretty boring to me while we were inside the house. but later we drove a couple miles to another museum about the Vanderbilt family and other random things. One exhibit was on the Titanic. I stood mesmorized as I read an old newspaper. Story after story of brave individuals' heroic actions, men doing everything to save their true loves by giving up their lives. So many pushed back the fear of their evident death to let others live. As I read, I didn't even notice when my sister walked up next to me; everything around me was a blur except for these stories. It was no longer a history lesson of a sinking ship...it was a look into the lives of real people.

Likewise, the Vanderbilts weren't just a rich family who owned a cool mansion; they are individuals who treasured time with their kids, enjoyed nature walks, and dealt with heartache - just like us. It made me wonder why we make such a big deal about them...why THEM? why not some other family that lived in that time period? sure, they have the biggest house i've EVER been in; and other than really wanting to play the ultimate game of hide-and-seek in it (new addition to my bucket list!), i don't care about the house. i was way more interested in the people than the house.

...but why wait until they are gone to care about their lives? i just found out last week that a girl i've been in a couple classes with lost her 16-year-old sister last year and the police can't figure out whether she committed suicide or was murdered. my heart broke with hers. but why didn't i care enough about her life to get to know her before now? why did i just assume she was fine? she didn't talk much in class last year but i wouldn't either if i had just lost someone that dear to me. i don't want to treat people like they are insignificant and invisible.

and what about the people who haven't had a mind-blowing tragedy in their lives but still get overwhelmed with stress, worry about financial needs, have no idea what to do with their lives or how to get there, and feel lonely through all of it? what about those people???
when was the last time we intentionally showed someone Christ's love? 
when was the last time someone else showed YOU Christ's love and how did it make a difference in your life? be that person!

--- Christ's love is SO BIG that it CAN'T go unnoticed!!!