Irrational Love pt 2
Part 1 of this note I probably won’t post because it is really cheesy, but here is the very last thought from that note.
• Love unconditionally and compassionately without complaining. Love no matter what somebody has done, is doing, or will do. Love without question. Give of your self and your time. Make the sacrifice for another like you would for your brother or sister.
o 1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”
o 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
o 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
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God called us to live and love like he did for us through Christ Jesus. He actually COMMANDS us to love each other.
o John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
While he doesn’t tell us to die on a cross, we are called to give of ourselves for others, whether we want to or not.
o John 15:13 “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Christ never told us to stop crying out to him or stop asking him for help. He told us to come to him and tell him everything; to pour out our hearts to him.
o Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
o Psalm 63:8 “My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”
He never cut us off from his love so why do we think we have the right or that we can do that to each other? As stated previously this has been a conviction of mine recently, not necessarily in my life, but also in watching those around me. Let’s face it, we are human and we all fall short of the expectations set before us by one another. We are human and we all make mistakes but this shouldn’t keep us from loving one another. A recent discussion about “LOVE” also got me thinking. As a student put it, we have to make ourselves available and be willing to be “inconvenienced” by one another. Would you turn down a sibling or tell them to leave you alone if they called you and needed to talk?
Whether somebody knows Christ or not, if they need help or love from a brother or sister, my thought is this: DO IT!!!! So many times I’ve heard it and more times than not, I was the one being selfish and saying, “this is what you are doing to ME and I can’t deal with it or don’t want to talk about that right now. Could you just stop?” It is obvious to most people who know me that I don’t handle guilt too well. SO, for the times that I’ve told anybody to just stop or leave me alone, first off I want to apologize for being so selfish; secondly, I will fess up and tell you that it makes me feel like a crappy friend for putting me first.
What are we called to do? Live and love like Jesus lived and died for us and loved us no matter what. When a friend needs an outlet or an escape, be inconvenienced and be that get-away for them (another student had a GREAT analogy: Be More like a wall outlet, not like a plug: Power comes from the wall outlet. We can give power to others as they plug into us). I’m not saying let them abuse your friendship like I’ve done to so many, but love them and use that opportunity to show them the love of Jesus and share with them why you love the way you do, like so many of you have done for me.
I’m going to tell you a story (trying to work on my story-telling skills here). How did you come to know Christ? Did you do it yourself or were there believers involved? There was this girl who didn’t TRULY know Jesus. The first person she met in college knew Christ and from her knowledge, had been walking with him for quite a while (correct me if I’m wrong there). To this girl, this friend was too good to be true and she waited for her friend to pack up and walk away like so many others had done before. BUT there was something different about this friend. While there were times that the girl and her friend didn’t get along, this friend never went away. No matter what the girl had done, this friend wouldn’t go away. There were times that this girl would INTENTIONALLY do things to test this friendship. An example would be staying out until 3 a.m. and then calling her friend who would get up in the middle of the night and drag this girl out of a house or off of a bathroom floor and take her home, only to wake up a few hours later to go get the girls car (almost always doing these things without complaining). So many times this girl would get upset with this friend at the little things that weren’t done such as answering a phone call or returning a message. This girl was selfish and blinded by her own pride. How could this friend tell her so much about trust and how she’d always be there but not have time to hang out or talk? Truth is, this friend was giving everything she had to offer: her time, energy, and most of all her love. This girl took and took and took but never stopped to think of why this friend did what she did. This friend allowed herself to be “inconvenienced” even when there were times she didn’t want to. After two years of praying and knowing each other, this friend shared Christ with the girl which resulted in a new sister (she shared Christ multiple times before, but the girl wouldn’t listen until 2 years later).
The girl is me, which you probably guessed. So many times I abused a beautiful friendship. So many times I would keep going back to that friend because no matter what I did, whether intentional or unintentional, that friend loved me and at the time I didn’t know why. As I began to see what I was doing and my own selfishness, I began to see the difference between her and myself. She had a relationship with Jesus and knew how to love like him and was willing to give of herself for me. I, however, was unclean and didn’t know Christ or how to love like him, although it had been shown to me multiple times. Gradually it became a reality to me that I was a sinner and my heart was so clouded over and blinded in my selfishness. I was living in the “room of good intentions” and living a lie, putting on a happy face for those around me.
I was happy to figure out why she loved the way she did, but intimidated (still am sometimes) by the response I thought I would get if I told her what I had done. She knew Christ which to me meant that she wasn’t dirty and that she was a “good” person (stereotypical right?). So many times we sat on her bed and the words that would come out of my mouth were “I’m never going to be as good as you. I’ve done too many things in my life and I’m not a good person.” Sometimes I would flat out say that I didn’t WANT to be a good person (which we know is a lie) because it was too hard. I was scared to spend time with and talk to the friends she introduced me to because they would ask me about my life. So many times I would lie to cover up how bad of a person I was or had been; all I wanted to be was good enough for these people and for them to accept me.
They knew Jesus; I didn’t. Why would they want to be friends with me if they knew who I really was? Little did I know how much more they would love me if I would be honest and share my past and my failings with them. We don’t always realize that when we share our faults and failings and sin and filth with somebody who is a believer, it only makes them love us more (this speaking from my own experience as a believer and a non-believer). It doesn’t push them away or make them think less of a person. I’m experiencing this right now and it makes me love the person more, not less.
Okay, so here is the part that I referred to at the beginning of this whole note. I apologize if it seems like I’m venting. I may be in the wrong with this as well, but I just wanted to make my feelings known (may be a good thing, may not be). I’m guilty on both accounts here though too: the speaker and the spoken to. This is where we help out each others as believers and when our words hurt more than people know (and some of this applies the previous portion of this note).
If a brother or a sister in Christ is struggling, be an encouragement to them. Don’t just say “I’m praying for you” or “pray about it” and then blow them off without even hearing them out. So many times I’ve heard that and more times than I probably even realize it I’ve most likely said it and EXPECTED that person to understand without me hearing them out and listening. Lend a friendly ear or a helping hand. Pray with them. Take it to Christ WITH them (notice I didn’t say FOR them. So many times I expected people to do it for me….. not the way it works and I realize that).
Sometimes when the only thing out of our mouths is “take it to Christ, pray about it”, it just kind of seems like we sometimes don’t want to listen or that we don’t really care. That is the statement that I may be wrong on and that I really don’t want anybody to take in the wrong way. Prayer changes things, I know this, it has been apparent in my life and in the lives of so many others…….. but that is a whole different note that I could write up if I wanted to. I’m just telling you IN GENERAL the first feeling that I, and some others I know, feel when it is said but nobody seems to be willing to listen is that nobody really cares. Just because somebody knows Jesus doesn’t mean that talking through life with a friend doesn’t help them process whatever they are going through or that a hug doesn’t provide some comfort. Besides, we are brothers and sisters.
“Be Jesus” to them: them being ANYBODY at ANYTIME at ANY PLACE. Be willing to be inconvenienced by anybody like so many of you probably were by me (regardless of whether or not you’ll actually admit to that). Let them come to you so that you may pray WITH them, not just for them. Don’t push them away, close them off, or just leave them hanging.
o James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
o Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage on another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Another story, but this time I am going to spoil the surprise and tell you the girl is me. Since I’ve set my eyes on Christ, I still have had times where I KNOW I’ve intentionally and unintentionally tried the patience of my friends (yet another thing you may not admit to :P). So many times I’ve gotten the same response from one particular friend, “You can never do anything to hurt me or push me away no matter what it is.” So far she has kept her word and as stated previously, I’ve tried to push her away and push her love to the max (sorry btw and I love you a lot). This is a friend I’ve barely known for a year who is telling me I can’t push her away. She has really only been around me since I’ve focused on Christ (besides the one football game that we met at freshman year, focusing my life on Jesus was one of the first actual conversations we ever had AND it just so happens it was done via Facebook....... lol). From the get go of our friendship, she has been thrown into the fire and the troubles of my life and yet she is still my friend. And it seems the harder I try to push her away, the more she loves me, and in return I love her and respect her more than she knows. I am very blessed to have a sister like her. I used to be intimidated (and still am, she will tell you that because I’m sure she sees it in the “deep” conversations we have……… lol), but no matter how many times I fall down, I will always have somebody to pick me up.
o Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
SO now you all know how I feel……… at least for the most part. Sorry it was so long. I should just make a book…….. lol, right. I love you all no matter what. AND I might post part one, but I’m not sure yet. Hope you all had a great Easter and that your week has been swell!!! As I usually say....... feel free to speak your mind, if you can do it nicely of course ;)
Love,
Sharina Marie
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”
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