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All You Need is Love

Is it?  
Maybe, if that love is more than warm fuzzies. 
It would take a much larger concept of love than what many of us learned as children from the world around us:  a love that works hard, lasts, is healthy, is balanced, and leaves everyone better than it found them.
I recently spent a weekend camping and doing a ropes course with the our youth group.  And love was their discussion topic.  
The discussion in a nutshell:
We talked about what love is – 1 Corinthians 13: 1- 13
and how to accomplish it- 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 & Philippians 4:13
 and what the ultimate expression of it is- John 3:16
and how to truly love someone we have to share it- Mark 16:15
This is Christianity, basically. 

But, I looked around at all of their faces, many of whom I know, and thought about the hurts they carry already and the hurts they will experience.  It is easy to talk about “God is love.  So, love everyone and everything will work out fine.” But, the truth is, it’s so incredibly hard.  I mean isn’t this the hardest challenge we face in life?  Or else we don’t face it and avoid people.  I mean even “good people” can drive us, okay me, crazy.  You know what I mean.  You have at least one in your life.  And they don’t always come around and love you back.  In fact, they usually don’t.  

But, I can honestly say, I believe those simple verses.   I could care less how hokey it seems.  Every time I submit and say, “Okay, I will love this person, even if it kills me, because You told me to.   Please help me love them, God,”  He does.  The course that love takes will be different for different people, but it never fails.  Sometimes they appreciate it, sometimes they don’t, but that’s not my problem.

I left with such good feeling for these kids and the safe group they had together, they really are good to one another.  I also left with some personal questions I had about how to go about loving certain people in my life answered, and I really didn’t expect that.

(This isn’t me, but my fearless daughter.  I’m the one on the net above.   I was doing fine until it was time to zip down, something I’ve never done, and I had to meditate on the process for a few minutes, asking the worker lots of questions, as I slowly scooted my way off of the platform.)

 (day 92)

Good times.

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2 Comments

  1. As Christians we are commanded to love one another. I agree with you, it's not easy. Some people make it really hard. But I often think about the verse that says: "If you only love those who love you, what reward is that?" So yeah, we love even the ones who are difficult, and ask God for the grace to continue.

  2. It's a simple commandment, but it's amazing how I keep learning new ways to follow (or break) it. I am just so thankful that God still shows me things things about myself.

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