Robin Williams, a comedian and actor, died this week. I have enjoyed Williams in TV shows and movies. Williams won two Emmy awards and five Grammy awards and set records for the most-viewed comedy show on TV and the highest grossing comedy tour. He seemed to have a lot to live for, but on August 11, 2014, he took his own life.

Williams’ death was a sad reminder of a very real truth. You never know what people are going through, and you never know who needs your encouragement and support. Our youth are exposed to  things that we could not have even imagined when were in school. We have members who are ill. We have people in our congregation who seem to be doing well financially, physically, mentally, spiritually but might be nearing a dangerous point in any of those areas.

We are the church. We have a responsibility to carry on Jesus’ message – that all the hope and love we could possibly need are available through God. We, as Christians, have agreed to be God’s ambassadors of love and hope to the world. How are we doing? Are we sensitive to what’s going on in each other’s lives? Are we gracious and supportive of each other? Let’s commit to show each other the love and hope of God, and when we get that down, let’s spread the love and hope around, beyond our walls. Our lives and so many others depend on it.