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| Hope, 2002 |
I'm a recycling nature lover, so I was thrilled when my daughter, Hope, joined Planet Patrol in 6th grade. She took it
seriously, too. She didn't want us to see Roper Mountain Lights in Greenville
during the Christmas holidays. We assured
her their lights burned even if we stayed home.
"But it's too much gas to drive over there." When we considered driving to a Disney park
from our hotel on vacation, Hope absolutely refused. "That's what the buses are for." I was proud of her, but one morning driving to school, we had an interesting conversation.
"You
know what's a great idea, Mom? School buses."
"Yes,
they are."
"I
mean, think of all the gasoline that's saved when people ride the bus. I'm glad
people ride the school bus."
"I
didn't know you felt that way. You know the bus comes to our neighborhood, and I rode the bus in middle school. Maybe you
can, too."
"Oh,
no. I wasn't talking about me. I'm not a bus rider."
I
guess what's good for others is NOT good for her, completely CLUELESS.
Does "what's good for others is good for me" apply to love? Considering the love chapter, 1st Corinthians 13, I'm kind, patient, believe all things and not
envious with the people I love, who happen to be the people I like, especially
when they're kind and patient with me. I
only behave rudely when others are rude to
me. That's love, isn't it?
Imagine the crowd of clueless faces when Jesus spoke
of love.
"And
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is equally
important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater
than these." Mark
12:31
“And
just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way."
Luke 6:31
Surely
he must mean treat others as they treat me.
What's good for me is good for them.
If they're rude, I should be rude or at least let everyone know about
it, right? If they lie to me, surely I
can lie to them. If they control me, shouldn't
I control them? If she gossips about me,
she deserves a few slanderous remarks. Everyone else is manipulating situations to
suit themselves. Shouldn't I do the
same? If they post something negative
about my school, my work, my church, or my passion on Facebook, I'm instructed
to do the same, right?
When
it comes to love, I'm completely clueless.
A few weeks ago, my pastor gave us "Occasional Important Reminders" that generated humble discussions. Based on Titus 3:1-8, one of our reminders was to be Magnanimously Gracious People. Magnus -great, Animus -soul & mind. A few of his NOT TO reminders? use our words to heap abuse on people, revile people with our words, be caught up in society's drama, be contentious. Instead, we ARE TO be peacemakers, be under control and not fearful, and be considerate of others. link to sermon Occasional Important Reminders/January 26,2014
"to
malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentile, showing every consideration for
all men." Titus 3:2
Considerate
of all men, love God more than myself,
love my neighbor as much as myself, and treat others like I wish to be treated?
That's a tall order. While others may
think it's good to be rude, inconsiderate, or dramatic, it's not good for
me. What's good for me, to be treated
with respect, love, and kindness, is always good for others. Believer's
Bible Commentary suggests that I think of how much I love myself and how much
of my activity is centered around the care and comfort of myself, then try and
imagine if I showered that same love on my neighbors, everyone I know. If I think it's impossible for me, I'm
absolutely right. Remember, I'm clueless
because that behavior isn't natural. It's
only possible if I ask God, who is all Love, to do this through me.
This love is only possible if He guides me to be there
for others. With Him, I'm able to treat everyone as I wish to be treated.
Happy
Valentine's Day, Neighbors,
As with all of our attempts to be Godly and Christ like, it is a journey that He tells us we can achieve, but my belief is that He means when we are with Him. So, again, we are left with a task or command that, even with His help, that seems beyond any possibility because of our inability to live in the present. In this instance that has already passed, I can love my neighbor as myself. For me or anyone else to do that in all of our "moments" we must also practice the "presence of God". Maybe we can get 1% better each day until we get to about 60% and then the gains become harder, but we don't lose the progress we have made to get to 60%. In my state, I have days that only feel like about 10%, or zero, and I have others that feel like maybe 60%. I don't see many people in the course of a week, so I have to try really hard to give people I interact with virtually just a little bit of positive or love or Jesus with my words. Still trying.
ReplyDeleteLove this Katy and I love Hope's honesty. We are all like her "six-year-old self" in many ways...we think it's a good idea for everyone else. You're absolute right too, when you said the only way to achieve this kind of love is with Jesus. Great thoughts!
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