I have been asking myself this question a lot. Do I? Really? I am not talking about the goofy love we see around us that causes so much divorce and pain and hurt. The whole, "I fell out of love with you" stuff is stupid. That is not love. I am talking about love like Jesus had. The kind that causes God to send Jesus for people that have no thought of Him.
The other night, I was laying in bed thinking on loving people and this question went across my mind. "Do you want to love people?" My first thought was, "Why, of course!" Then, I began to really think on it. The unlovely. Unlovely: not lovely, pleasing, or attractive;disagreeable. mmmm...what would that be? People that intentionally hurt me. People that do not like me. People that abuse children. People that terrorize the innocent. So many images and thoughts flashed through my mind and I literally had a yucky taste in my mouth. My tummy churned as I thought of what people are capable of and what they do. Yuck. I felt I could throw up.
We talk of loving people like God commands us to. Reaching out, help save the lost. It is not a light thing to love people. It is hard.
Yet..God commands us to love Him and our neighbor. Not a suggestion..a command. Would he command us if it were not possible? If He commands it then He must have given us the power to act it out. To command such a thing and not help and aid and make it possible would make Him a liar, and I know that is far from the truth. In Him there is no darkness.
I believe that we can love this way. We have that love on the very inside of our being. God does not have love, He is. Where does He reside? In you. I also think, that reminding ourselves of what God saved us from and the grace and mercy He has bestowed on us, OVER and OVER...then giving and choosing love is not such a hard thing....
Yes..I do want to love people. I want them to taste the God that I know and experience the mercy. Yes..loving them is not easy..but loving me may be no easy feat as well!
melanie
2 comments:
We have an elderly couple who have ministered in jails for many years. They come in contact with many truly unloveables. Some of us do Nursing Home Ministry, either in regular nursing homes or a mental health facility. There are some unloveables there too. You make an excellent point, Mel. Thanks.
I'm inspired and motivated to love people. I'm equally disenchanted with the prospect. I relate to Paul, wanting to do the right thing but chosing the wrong instead. And I dare say it usually involves the people I love most dearly.
Impatience ... intolerance ... a critical spirit ... a judgemental thought. These are the stuff that bar my way from being truly obedient to God's summons.
Thank God He isn't done with me (us) yet. Until He is, I'll just keep practicing & praying & positioning myself at His feet.
Prayers & hugs,
Kathleen
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