We must be careful how we love the things the LORD gave us for our pleasure – His creation. We must never allow them to take the place of loving people. It’s easy to love our pets, the beautiful world He’s given us, for these are “safe” to love. They do not challenge us, they do not encourage emotional growth. In fact, if we find ourselves there it may be that we’ve been wounded by people and we seek to be loved, give easy love, instead of becoming love - becoming what we've been called to be.
God desires us to be transformed into the image (reflection) of His Son Jesus. He will transform us into love if we let Him. But as is all things God, He has His own way of accomplishing it and it’s not they way we expect or even prefer, but Oh, how good are His ways...
To truly love, one must be willing to lay down his life. Oh, as I’ve said before, not the glamorous, heroic death (though grateful if needed!) but the daily dying. Daily putting blade to the throat of your own will and drawing down firmly. To battle for relationship over rightness, to fight for instead of against. Lift the other up, instead of pulling them down, exalting self. To drown petty opinion in humility. To always choose other over self. To chose to love when others are most unlovely. To look with spiritual eyes to see their needs. To love in the midst of rejection, to let go of every need, every desire – letting God alone satisfy, so that His love can flow through you into others with no expectation of return. We become a vessel, purified as His love flows through us – washing selfishness, even wounded-ness away. All the while our roughness smooths, our will becomes pliable – aligned with His. We, less visible (isn’t that the goal?) He, more. And there is it – Agape Love – true, unconditional, selfless love.
Oh, embrace the journey to becoming love. Dare to be who He's called you to be.
Comments
Post a Comment
Did something touch your heart? Please share about it.