We were in the Church of Santo Stefano in Assisi, Italy and saw this confession booth. I sat down on the right and half-seriously asked if my travel companions wanted to confess anything while we were here. My husband said that he would like to. Volunteering to something like this would not be typical of my husband, so I was intrigued. He humbly sat down beside me and simply stated, "I confess my undying love for you." Awww!
Undying love.
Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Ephesians 6:24
How can we even begin to show our love to God? Look back up at the first verse. What does He command? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and love one another. We show love for God by loving those around us... and it starts with those closest to us. If we're married, it starts by loving our husband. If we have children, we show love to our children. If we live at home with parents and siblings, this is where it begins. From here, our love extends to the other relationships around us and even beyond those. That preferential, deep love that builds up, encourages and cherishes... that love needs to be grown and shown... at home.
Long ago, God showed me a lie that I was believing. I believed that at home, with those I love, I can be free to just relax and be me. No pretence. If I wasn't in a good mood, I didn't need to pretend, I could just be in a bad mood. If I didn't feel like being welcoming and smiling, I didn't have to, because this is family and we can all just be real.
Sounds sinister when you really think about it, doesn't it?
I'm all about not pretending. I'm all about reality. OBEDIENCE though, is what life is about. When I find myself in a bad mood, what am I going to do about it? Now I choose to admit it. I choose to turn to God and ask for His overcoming power. I lost too many moments and days - possibly even years - being lulled into thinking that if this is how I feel, this is just the way I feel. And I let myself stay there. Yikes. Wrong way to think. Life is about obeying God. I'm called to do what is right! even when I don't necessarily feeeeel like it.
1 Peter 3:8 and on, in the Message explains what love looks like.
Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
Let's remember this: As believers, that mighty power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead - that same power - lives in us! That's some power! We, in our own strength, can't love like this and maybe can't even believe that we can love like this. We can choose though. We can choose to trust God to cause us to believe in Him. We can ask God to fill our hearts with love for those closest to us - even in their unlovable moments. God can perform the miracle of loving others through us.
We are going to a wedding on Saturday. We have several more weddings to attend this spring and summer as well. Couples will declare their love for each other and commit themselves to each other for life. We will celebrate 29 years of marriage this August. As I watched my mom care for my dad at the Menno Hospital at the end of his life, I thought, you want to be there at the end. Undying love. Marianne - Dancing Girl - you're there with Al...even to the end. What an amazing gift from God, to love throughout a lifetime. May God bless you, encourage you, and comfort you through this incredibly difficult and yet, somehow very precious time. My prayers are with you, Al and your family.
No comments:
Post a Comment