Does anyone else ever get tunnel vision?

I do. A lot. So much of my day is spend between the confines of a computer screen or looking through the lens of a camera that I sometimes think that’s all everything consists of. The things at the edges seem to disappear, or get lost in the haze of a day that’s too jam packed with work and activities.

So sometimes I need to be reminded that there is more to the world than my world. Our pastor — we go to Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church here in Knoxville, by the way — is preaching a series on Sunday night called “Love Loud.” The premise is that too many Christians are caught so up in the day to day — like me — that they forget that Christ commanded us to love another. In fact, he said in John 13:34 that it was how people would be able to tell that we were really his followers. Too many of us, including myself, I fear, leave people wondering.

So how do we love one another? Well, it’s more than just saying it. I can tell someone until I can’t breathe that I love them, but if I never show it, do I really mean it? That’s what “Loving Loud” means — showing it. As part of the series, several groups are coming in to tell us how we can “Love Loud.” This past Sunday was Compassion International. This coming Sunday it’s Invisible Children. Tomorrow, our church is taking part in Serving Knoxville as One, a coalition of community service projects sponsored by churches all over the Knoxville area.

As Christians, certainly, but more importantly, as Americans, we need to reminded just how blessed we are. The number of people who will go to bed hungry or thirsty tonight in this country is miniscule compared to other places around the globe. Our children are not forced to be foot soldiers to a corrupt regime. We don’t have to worry about being rounded up and taken to a forced labor camp. Even the poorest of our poor live in luxury when put up against places like Nicaragua and Uganda.

We should be thankful and show it. As much as we can, we need to give back and help people who can’t help themselves. None of us can give to everything. But all of us can give to something. It doesn’t matter how big or how small. Just show Christ’s love to someone.

Love Loud.