what is LOVE?
A few weeks ago, I woke struggling with my reaction to a recent event in our lives. The details I can't get into but my response I can. I responded wholly in the flesh. There was no grace in my heart. The worst part is I knew it and even vocalized it in the moment. No, the worst part is that it was in front of my precious six year old. I didn't want to respond in a Christ like manner to this issue, but I felt the weight of my behavior staring at me through innocent eyes. As a parent, I feel I have the responsibility to behave in a calm, mature manner but that doesn't always happen. As a child of Christ, I feel the weight of responding in a manner that is honoring to Christ. Not just in what I say or do but in my heart also. And that, unfortunately, doesn't always happen. My brokenness drives my responses at times. I really hate when that happens but I also recognize its a symptom to a bigger issue. The issue that He's walking me through right now is love.
I know how to love but the Holy Spirit is gently showing me that I'm not doing it well. It's easy to love those that please you but how in the world do you love those that have hurt you, hurt your loved ones, someone who is just mean, uses you or less dramatic, someone who is just annoying to be around? We all know people like this but what does it look like to love someone like this? That's easy to answer but hard to live out. I LOVE how God works. This has been part of the sermons lately at church and was brought up in my small group.
So the answer to this is in scripture: Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your sound and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." matthew 22:37-40 We also see in 1 Corinthians 13. That scripture talks about some selfless things you can do for others but then says "...but have not love, it profits me nothing." 1 Corinthians goes on to say "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
I've been spending a lot of time marinating over these scriptures the last couple weeks. This has been a hard post to write because I wanted to study the scriptures and hear what God was saying to me in these verses. Like I said, I LOVE how God works. These same scriptures have been preached at church. It has felt like Pastor Garry preached these sermons just for me. He gave the example of the Good Samaritan from Luke and how the definition of a neighbor is helping anyone that you can, not just those that live next door. I see my kids live that out more than I ever could. I've watched my kids reach out and try to help people that I wouldn't even take notice of in my introverted me centered daily living. I've seen my kids extend grace and kindness to other kids that were being mean to them. I look at that and I wonder where I lost that love and what I can do to first, recapture it and second, how can I help protect my kids from losing it. I'm not sure where I lost it, somewhere in my journey of life before Christ, when I was angry and bitter about what I perceived as the injustices of this world. Somewhere in the back of my mind I do know how to recapture it. Live my life for Christ. Which I do, I've come a long way but I struggle with looking at those deep dark corners of my being, knowing that when I do open those doors they will cause pain. I know the flip side of that too though, that after walking through the pain, there is great joy and freedom. I've experienced God's healing in many broken areas of my life. So the answer to recapturing that type of love and protecting my kids from losing it, is the same; live my life for Christ. Sounds easy, as easy as just loving someone. However, I'm finding it's a daily, sometimes minute by minute decision to love, to keep my thoughts captive, my tongue behind my teeth and to allow Jesus to speak through me. I know the more I allow Jesus to live through me, the more it just becomes who I am.
In this day and age of "Five Easy Steps to..." there really are no five easy steps to learning to love. It's a daily submission to Christ, it's a daily dying to self and the instant gratification of responding in the flesh, it's putting aside hurts and extending grace to those who do you wrong. I look at the things I've done in my life and God still loves me, still extends grace and mercy. Who am I to withhold that from others? I'm grateful for the opportunity to practice Christ's love that was recently placed before me and I look forward to experiencing ways to live out God's love as I continually learn and grow in Christ.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the family you've given me. For placing a loving, grace-filled husband in my life that sets a daily example of Christ's love towards others, for kids who just live out Your love in a natural selfless way. Thank you for opening my heart in this season to teach me how to love better and for giving me opportunities to practice Your love. Ephesians 4:2 says Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. I look forward to the day I'll stand by Your side and truly understand what Love mean.
Amen
I know how to love but the Holy Spirit is gently showing me that I'm not doing it well. It's easy to love those that please you but how in the world do you love those that have hurt you, hurt your loved ones, someone who is just mean, uses you or less dramatic, someone who is just annoying to be around? We all know people like this but what does it look like to love someone like this? That's easy to answer but hard to live out. I LOVE how God works. This has been part of the sermons lately at church and was brought up in my small group.
So the answer to this is in scripture: Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your sound and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." matthew 22:37-40 We also see in 1 Corinthians 13. That scripture talks about some selfless things you can do for others but then says "...but have not love, it profits me nothing." 1 Corinthians goes on to say "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
I've been spending a lot of time marinating over these scriptures the last couple weeks. This has been a hard post to write because I wanted to study the scriptures and hear what God was saying to me in these verses. Like I said, I LOVE how God works. These same scriptures have been preached at church. It has felt like Pastor Garry preached these sermons just for me. He gave the example of the Good Samaritan from Luke and how the definition of a neighbor is helping anyone that you can, not just those that live next door. I see my kids live that out more than I ever could. I've watched my kids reach out and try to help people that I wouldn't even take notice of in my introverted me centered daily living. I've seen my kids extend grace and kindness to other kids that were being mean to them. I look at that and I wonder where I lost that love and what I can do to first, recapture it and second, how can I help protect my kids from losing it. I'm not sure where I lost it, somewhere in my journey of life before Christ, when I was angry and bitter about what I perceived as the injustices of this world. Somewhere in the back of my mind I do know how to recapture it. Live my life for Christ. Which I do, I've come a long way but I struggle with looking at those deep dark corners of my being, knowing that when I do open those doors they will cause pain. I know the flip side of that too though, that after walking through the pain, there is great joy and freedom. I've experienced God's healing in many broken areas of my life. So the answer to recapturing that type of love and protecting my kids from losing it, is the same; live my life for Christ. Sounds easy, as easy as just loving someone. However, I'm finding it's a daily, sometimes minute by minute decision to love, to keep my thoughts captive, my tongue behind my teeth and to allow Jesus to speak through me. I know the more I allow Jesus to live through me, the more it just becomes who I am.
In this day and age of "Five Easy Steps to..." there really are no five easy steps to learning to love. It's a daily submission to Christ, it's a daily dying to self and the instant gratification of responding in the flesh, it's putting aside hurts and extending grace to those who do you wrong. I look at the things I've done in my life and God still loves me, still extends grace and mercy. Who am I to withhold that from others? I'm grateful for the opportunity to practice Christ's love that was recently placed before me and I look forward to experiencing ways to live out God's love as I continually learn and grow in Christ.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for the family you've given me. For placing a loving, grace-filled husband in my life that sets a daily example of Christ's love towards others, for kids who just live out Your love in a natural selfless way. Thank you for opening my heart in this season to teach me how to love better and for giving me opportunities to practice Your love. Ephesians 4:2 says Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. I look forward to the day I'll stand by Your side and truly understand what Love mean.
Amen
You got the gift of writing I was hoping for....and now Michael has it....and i'm still hoping the God will, someday that it's time for me to write down the story i keep ruminating on. I studying Ephesians with chip ingraham, and this is what i have been working on at work: if I can be just a bright spot in a customer's day...all the glory for that will go to Christ...cause being truly nice, and caring, takes the power of God's grace in my heart. I am finding my way back to feeling as i did in 2005 and watching you continue to mature in your relationship with Christ has kept me wanted to be in the Word every day, again.
ReplyDeleteCrazy Cat Lady is an apt name :) I wish I could take credit for writing but it truly is good only with the Holy Spirit inspiration. I'm grateful the boys have the gift of writing, each in their own ways. Keep working on that story and don't wait too long to put it to paper! I'm glad you're in the Word. Its the greatest comfort I've found, even above my wonderful loving husband. I love you Crazy Cat Lady!
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