– 2 John 1:5
Bro-mancing the Stone!
The author of Love, THE Originator and Creator of the deepest, most gut-wrenching, mind-warping, soul-soaring emotion (which is the "batter" that is poured into our very souls and baked to a golden-brown perfection), must be shaking His head at the way we've made a mess of His purest gift.
We've lost site of what love really is, and we've come to throw the word around like a stone that skips across the surface of a placid pond. It hits where it hits without aim or precision, and in fact, the flatter the rock, the more skips it makes – and we stand back and look on in pride at how many times our stone strikes the surface. Huh? OK, OK, I know I'm really reaching here but if you think about it, the way we throw around the word "love" nowadays is just like skipping stones. We LOVE ice cream; we LOVE music; we LOVE sports; we LOVE food; we even LOVE I Love Lucy, but our true "charter," our original purpose, is to LOVE our Lord with ALL our mind, heart, and souls, AND to LOVE one another as we do ourselves.
What? As we love ourselves? I think I've found the problem . . . at least in our culture . . . here in the good old U.S. of A., we DON'T love ourselves, at least not as God intended us to, so we can't even begin to understand how to love each other. Our society puts a premium on how imperfect we are, and how this new car, or that new tooth whitener, or the latest whatchamacallit will make us "acceptable," all so that retailers and manufacturers can make more money. We've become so obsessed with ourselves that we've forgotten about the people all around us – the ones who we are supposed to show the love of Christ to, through our time, and our words, and actions, and deeds. Oh, and we should also let our faces know that we are doing it. I can't tell you how many scowling, frowning Christians I know, and I must admit that I've been one of them.
By being so negatively wrapped up in ourselves, we have lost the true Source of love in our lives. The power that comes from the Stone, the Rock of our Salvation . . . the Love OF Jesus and the love FOR Jesus and ALL that He stands for. We've become selfish in our time, our resources, our energy, and our lives, and we've become unwilling to share who we are with those who really need us to be open, and available, and willing to sit and listen.
I am as guilty of this selfish behavior as anyone, and today's verse has really convicted me of the fact that sometimes I would really rather just do my own thing and not be bothered with anyone else's problems or their neediness. I bet there is one or two of you out there who have felt this way a time or two as well. I mean we all go through those times right? But here's the rub, if those times are "normal" for you, then some changes need to be made. And the changes aren't a "new commandment," but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter; that we start loving one another . . . like we were created to do.
How about it? Ask God to reveal your heart to you today. Do some soul-searching and see if you can find the "Love" that God put there. Think on the way you interact with those around you: your co-workers; your neighbors; your circles of influence; your family (ouch!). Ask the Lord to help you to love a little more each day, and start with yourself. Ask Him to help you see yourself like He sees you, and not like the advertisers and marketers want you to. You can do it . . . and I can do it . . . and together we can change the world!
Prayer
Father thank You for reminding me that I was put on this earth to love. Help me to learn how to love myself so that I can be healthy, and whole, and capable of showing the real You to a hurting world. Help me to be a loving husband, and father, and friend, and let me see You in everything I do today. Thank You Lord!
Have a blessed day everyone!
– Richard
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