I haven't yet reached chapter 46, but was given a copy of that chapter at a MOMS leadership meeting and it's a good one, friends! The title is Steps Toward Genuine Love, which grabbed my attention right away.
I haven't yet shared with you what the Lord has been up to in my life since my two dear friends, April and Eir, moved away within weeks of each other during the summer of 2007. Trust me when I say that there were some very low moments for me. I've always believed that God works all things together for good. And I was asking Him to show me how this was supposed to be good for me!
I didn't see it for a long time, and still can't articulate entirely what I've learned in the last 18 months. Someday I will! But a huge part of it has been about pushing me out of my comfort zone and taking the initiative to love others.
I'm definitely an introvert. I'd rather have a couple close friends than a ton of acquaintances. And I'd rather spend an evening at home alone than call people to hang out together. When we do things with other people, more often than not it was Andy's initiative!
With April and Eir I benefitted from their initiative. Both of them invited me to do things and were good at "cooking" up a plan! And I was more than happy to let them do it!!! Now they're both gone. And part of what God has shown me through all my sadness is that I need to step up to the plate and do some initiating of my own. He's been calling me to love the people in my life when I'd rather stay home and watch a movie.
Well, I've said more about that than I intended. And someday I'll tell you the rest of the story. But this chapter from Renovation was further confirmation to me that God is Love and wants us (me!) to be love to the people in our lives!
Chapter 46 says that an important element of that is "abandonment of all defensiveness. This includes a willingness to be known in our most intimate relationships for who we really are. It includes abandonment of practices of self-justification, evasiveness, and deceit, as well as manipulation. We do not hide, and we do not follow strategies for 'looking good.'" This vulnerability does not come naturally to me!!! On the contrary! I am great at putting up walls and only letting people get so close.
Another element is to"extend ourselves in blessing and redeption to all whose lives we touch. Without the burden of defending ourselves we can act from the resources of our new life from above and devote our lives to the service of others."
In Romans 12:3-21 Paul talk about how the body of Christ works together in grace and power and how it should exhibit these behaviors:
- Letting love be completely real
- Abhorring what is evil
- Clinging to what is good
- Being devoted to one another in family-life love
- Outdoing one another in giving honor
- Serving the Lord with an ardent spirit and in all diligence
- Rejoicing in hope
- Being patient in troubles
- Being devoted constantly to prayer
- Contributing to the needs of the saints
- Pursuing (running after) hospitality
- Blessing persecutors and not cursing them
- Being joyful with those who are rejoicing and being sorrowful with those in sorrow
- Living in harmony with each other
- Not being haughty, but fitting right in with the lowly, in human terms
- Not seeing oneself as wise
- Never repaying evil for evil
- Having due regard for what everyone takes to be right
- Being at peace with everyone, so far as it depends on you
- Never taking revenge, but leaving that to whatever God may decide
- Providing for needy enemies
- Not being overwhelmed by evil, but overwhelming evil with good
What a list! Holy buckets! Some of them are harder than others, and most are downright impossible in human strength. But can you imagine what the Church would look like to the world if we behaved this way??? We should be known by our love! I have been so challenged by that and want to be known as someone who loves with the love of Christ.
Who is God calling you to love?
1 comment:
thanks for sharing babe! i love you and love being loved by you!
chelie
Post a Comment