So I was planning to end the 2 week drought of posts by writing about the connection between our view of self and our view of God, something I've been exploring and thinking about for quite some time. However, that can wait, because I'm going to be spontaneous and write about something that has burst on my mind this very hour. Oh the possibilities.
I know this isn't true of everyone, but I generally see myself as a nice person. I don't believe I'm simply building myself up here.. some people just love easily. There are those who can't play a pick-up game of basketball without getting tense with another player, and then there's those of us who could get humiliated and knocked around, and then leave the game smiling. Some people are just good at loving the unlovable. So that means I'm kinda like Jesus was, huh? Well, not really.
I was struck with this tonight. Maybe you can identify with me, in that loving others is not "a challenge." The love of God might even seem natural to us, though we'd certainly never admit it! All that changed tonight when I found myself again wrestling with a situation involving a lifelong friend. For subtlty's sake, I'll simply say that this friend I care about, pray for, and love, was hurt by someone in an intense way, in a way that will never go away, and will affect them possibly for a lifetime. I, the "I can love anyone" person I am, don't think one nice word would ever come out of my mouth if I met this person that hurt my friend so deeply.
But wait. God loved Saul, the Christian serial killer... God loved David, the murderer and adulterer... God loved Zacchaeus, the deceptive cheater. He didn't love them after they "made it right." He loved them in the midst of their ruthless attacks on others. We pray for the persecuted church... can we honestly pray for the persecutors? We pray for our troops... can we pray for those who cause terror? We pray for those who are hurt... can we pray for the attackers?
Christian, never think that you have learned how to love as Christ... It is a great love.
Brian
