“A
new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. By this everyone will know
that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
- John 13:34,35
“Unloving” has never been a word that I have
heard people use when describing me. And yet, I am the cruelest person I know.
My impure and unkind thoughts are so natural
to me that I worry, at times, that they are written all over my face.
I know it is only my insecurities that keep
me from loving others the way I should…
But this past week I was challenged.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as
Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
– Ephesians 5:25
There has always
been (in my mind) this huge responsibility for my future husband. He is to not
only love me – but love me “just as Christ loved the church.”
He should give his
life for me.
Respect me and
always look out for what’s best for me.
Genuine, pure,
selfless LOVE.
What a lucky gal I
shall be one day.
But then I think –
what about me?
How am I to love?
Not just my
[future] husband – but everyone?
What if I actually took the bible for its word?
What if the way
that I love people – shows my love for Christ?
What if the way
that I love people – is the way I
love Christ?
What if every time
I became frustrated or bothered or had a bad attitude and acted out towards
someone – is the way I act towards Christ?
This past week I
went to Hume with my old high school group. I can’t even begin to explain what
a blessing it was.
But there were
times when I was frustrated…and annoyed…and tired…and grumpy…and bothered…and….insecure.
And the Holy
Spirit smacked me in the face: “The way you love them is the way you love Me.”
And then suddenly
I started thinking – what if that girl, whom I love dearly, but annoys me to no
end – is providing me a way to love Christ. Or what if that girl who lights up
when she hears a complete stranger say something that one of our leaders says
every day – is Jesus putting His hand on mine telling me He desires my
friendship. What if that girl whom I bluntly respond to is me responding to
Christ…
And I began to see
how my attitude and thoughts and insecurities – truly affect not just my
relationship with others…but my relationship with Christ.
“We love because he first loved us.” –
1 John 4:19
If I truly believed that Christ loved me – I
would not hesitate when it came to loving others.
How could I?
I so easily fall into the trap of
believing that if only I were separated
from the “situation” that I could clear my head and work on myself to be better in that exact situation.
But how can I grow
when I am removed from the very thing I need to grow with???
Our love for
Christ doesn’t grow if we constantly push Him away.
And our love for others
won’t grow if we do that either…
“The reconciliation of the human race
according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually,
but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for
this very purpose— that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up
of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to
develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We
are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of
building His body.”
– Oswald Chambers
“Whoever claims to
love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love
their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have
not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love
their brother and sister.”
- 1 John 4:20,21
