Living out of love can look many different ways
Yesterday I suggested that once we become kids of God, it changes how we live and love. Earlier I talked about how in my family, we have a couple grandchildren that we are in love with. We clap when Christian uses the potty like a big boy and thank Norah for telling us that she’s pooped. They cry, we nurture; they laugh, we giggle back!
We aren’t so great at treating messy adults with as much delight. And hey, I get that too. It’s called developmentally APPROPRIATE, right?
But the larger point isn’t how we love one another, although I believe this is directly related to the point I am trying to address. As kids of God we receive a call to return back to the foundations of where love begins - the love of our Father God. The scriptures say it like this: “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. Who among you will give your children a stone when they ask for bread? Or give them a snake when they ask for fish? If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:7-12, CEB
The birth of Jesus is a defining, disruptive, even offensive moment in history. It demands that all of us consider and reconsider our own ways of both giving and receiving love. Christmas is 21 days away. Tough decisions will be made by many of us regarding how we choose to express our love for other mere mortals this holiday season. I would never dare to presume to tell another how to love, heck, I have my own issues to sort through in this department. But I would suggest to you what I am telling myself. Any decision I make must be made within the parameters of love. Hear me out on this one - this is like playing ten-dimensional chess, because we have to ponder the needs of ourselves, our families, our friends and even our enemies. This is not a simple thing. But I suspect that the struggle is valued by God. I think it makes him smile when his kids care enough to wrestle with how to love well.
