How to Love
I keep hearing the word 'love' thrown around - God is love, love yourself, love your neighbour and John Lennon even wrote a song called 'All you need is love' - but it's not enough because the word 'love' is the most abused word of our times, and has become almost meaningless. But I didn't realise this until I got a wake up call when reading a passage about love in the bible.
Corinthians 13
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I fall far short of this standard, although I like to think I come close when it comes to love of my family - from my aging parents, big brother and big sis, to my wife and our budding sons. But loving your family is like fishing in a bathtub. Instead you gotta go where the fish are because loving strangers and even your enemy is a whole different matter, but that's what Jesus tells us to do:
Matthew 5
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
Considering some of us sometimes struggle to love certain members within our own family, let alone our friends and neighbours, how the heck are we supposed to love those we don't like?
It begins by understanding that loving someone doesn't mean you have to like them, and doesn't mean you have to have relationship with them. In fact you don't even have to know them. Loving someone may mean giving away your old clothes to those without, volunteering at your local school and sharing your skills and experience with others, donating food, donating blood or simply your time. It's often time that is needed most, like those soup kitchens that have plenty of food but not enough hands to serve it. But if you're really shy and don't think you could handle being around people, donate 25 dollars to restore the sight of 1 person in the third world.
I can't think of many people who couldn't afford 25 dollars once or twice a year, and it's a great way to help when you don't have time to spare, as many of us are busy simply keeping our own head above water. But I reckon everyone has a spare 30 seconds to dwell on the fact they've restored someone's sight. That sort of meditation is life changing, not just for the person whose sight you've restored, but for yourself. It's not until we see someone without their sight that we suddenly appreciate we've got two eyes that work.
But what if you're someone who has no spare money, no spare time and no spare possession to donate - how are you gonna spread the love?
It begins right now in how you respond to those around you. It may be as simple as not spreading gossip, not cursing at those who annoy you, giving up your seat on the crowded bus home from work for an elderly lady, or a young woman with infant. It may be deciding not to post that nasty comment on Facebook, or being nice to the picked on kid at school.
There's lots of ways we can begin to love because love really is the most important thing in the world. God gave his one and only son so that we may know him, because it's only when we realise how much we are loved, that we respond.
So whenever you hear someone telling you the solution to the world's problem is 'love' and say all you need is love, well, now you know how to put that into practice, but be careful.
If you manage to spend time helping strangers or those you don't like, you might find yourself getting to know them, and it's usually harder to dislike someone you know.
So don't go fishing in your bathtub. Go where the fish are.
Corinthians 13
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I fall far short of this standard, although I like to think I come close when it comes to love of my family - from my aging parents, big brother and big sis, to my wife and our budding sons. But loving your family is like fishing in a bathtub. Instead you gotta go where the fish are because loving strangers and even your enemy is a whole different matter, but that's what Jesus tells us to do:
Matthew 5
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
Considering some of us sometimes struggle to love certain members within our own family, let alone our friends and neighbours, how the heck are we supposed to love those we don't like?
It begins by understanding that loving someone doesn't mean you have to like them, and doesn't mean you have to have relationship with them. In fact you don't even have to know them. Loving someone may mean giving away your old clothes to those without, volunteering at your local school and sharing your skills and experience with others, donating food, donating blood or simply your time. It's often time that is needed most, like those soup kitchens that have plenty of food but not enough hands to serve it. But if you're really shy and don't think you could handle being around people, donate 25 dollars to restore the sight of 1 person in the third world.
I can't think of many people who couldn't afford 25 dollars once or twice a year, and it's a great way to help when you don't have time to spare, as many of us are busy simply keeping our own head above water. But I reckon everyone has a spare 30 seconds to dwell on the fact they've restored someone's sight. That sort of meditation is life changing, not just for the person whose sight you've restored, but for yourself. It's not until we see someone without their sight that we suddenly appreciate we've got two eyes that work.
But what if you're someone who has no spare money, no spare time and no spare possession to donate - how are you gonna spread the love?
It begins right now in how you respond to those around you. It may be as simple as not spreading gossip, not cursing at those who annoy you, giving up your seat on the crowded bus home from work for an elderly lady, or a young woman with infant. It may be deciding not to post that nasty comment on Facebook, or being nice to the picked on kid at school.
There's lots of ways we can begin to love because love really is the most important thing in the world. God gave his one and only son so that we may know him, because it's only when we realise how much we are loved, that we respond.
So whenever you hear someone telling you the solution to the world's problem is 'love' and say all you need is love, well, now you know how to put that into practice, but be careful.
If you manage to spend time helping strangers or those you don't like, you might find yourself getting to know them, and it's usually harder to dislike someone you know.
So don't go fishing in your bathtub. Go where the fish are.
Comments
Post a Comment