I LOOOOOOOOVE IT!
OK truth is maybe we use the word love way too loosely! Like that time we saw something funny and the first thing flying out of our mouth is "I LOVE IT!" or you meet someone and really dig their style and personality and say "I just love her!"
Do you really know how to love? Do you know what/who to love?
Love requires that we do more than share the post!
Love requires that we do more than cheer that person on!
Love requires that we stand for the people!
Love requires that we risk losing our extra so the people can have some!
Love requires more.
Love requires that we pray with them.
Can you pray with the last meme posted? No.
Love requires that we forgive?
Are you planning to be in community (leaving room for messy moments to forgive) with the person you just said you love - when the reason you said you love them was because of their dope style, career choice and vernacular? Probably not. Most of us aren't genuinely looking to add more people to our circle!
Love requires that we keep no record of wrong.
Most of us keep a good grudge, we think it enables us to set healthy boundaries so that person can't get too close again. Are you interested in abandoning your grudges? Maybe you want to, but it's scary to think about.
I was leaving a comment this morning on a post and typed out 'love it" and then deleted it and wrote "I really like it."
Today I encourage us all to be more intentional about the words we use and how we express ourselves
Love God. Love People. Like things. Because church is messy, and we are the church, and we were called to love. Love people in their mess. Love people despite their mess. Love people when their mess interrupts our flow. We weren't called to love the pews - we were called to love the people sitting in the pews making a whole mess while we are trying to get our praise on!
And all this is possible because Jesus loved us first and He gave us the power and courage to love messy people (messy church). It's easy to love the things and pets attached to the messy people. But things are not what God called us to love. It is people.
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