A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just
as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will
know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35
When
you walk into your church, do you feel love? We’re not talking about a sappy
sentimental feeling, but one of goodwill, benevolence and commitment. This is
the type of love God demonstrates in the Bible. He loves the unlovable and the
unlovely, not because they deserve it, but because it is His nature to love. He
is love.
Such
love does not come naturally to us. Love can only come from its Source—our
Heavenly Father. Because of His love for us, we are able to show that love to
others. First John 3:16 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ
laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers
and sisters.”
Blogger
Shannan Martin traveled with Compassion International to Ecuador and had a
beautiful connection with a little girl. Read her experience:
Beautiful girls lined up on both sides…their long hair pulled
back from their features, eyes shining, skirts swishing. They held out
long-stemmed Ecuadorian roses while music spilled from behind them, Hosanna!
Hosanna! erasing any space between us…
A little girl walked over, wedging into the pew…She smiled shyly
at first, two tidy rows of baby teeth, her jacket zipped up to her chin.
Plucking the rose from my lap, she grinned. "Roja?" I asked.
"Si!" She pointed to the leaves then, giggling, "verde!"
And so it began. She welcomed me to her table there on the
front-row pew. I scooted my chair in. We held sweaty
hands and spoke only in colors. She
raised her arms. I scooped her up.
It's Sunday, and I have a better idea of the church I long for. I want a church of broken people who
shimmer with the glow of redemption. I want a boiled-down, universal language of commonality, a
singular thread. I
want an invitation to dance badly and hug strangers. I want a humble house of God with a
curtain for a door, flung over the jamb, covered in roses. I want a haven, a
never-gives-up hope. But
if I really want those things, I have to first be willing to be them.
Lord, help me to understand
what true love is. Help me to learn to love sacrificially.
