Monday, January 28, 2008

Blogging poorly...

So I just realized, I have been spending more time on my other blog. Do forgive me friends. Life has been very temporal, very busy, and my thoughts it would seem, have not been running very deep.

Love your neighbors as yourselves.

Tough stuff. To love a family member, to love a child, a husband, a friend, even this can be challenging some days...

When we recall that Love is patient, Love is Kind, never jealous never boastful never rude, that Love believes all things Hopes all things, endures all things, and that Love never fails... we do, love doesn't... we can fail to love... but the love...
it never fails us...

But beyond the very love able loves of my life, loving neighbors is tricky. Now I have some pretty great neighbors, Tracy and Tim and their son Ryan are pretty easy to love, Tracy and James and their lovely girls are easy to love, Lauren and John are super neighbors, again easy to love. But everyone else is my neighbor too.
The hockey hooligans, the loud teenagers, the grumpy man in the suite next door, (not that he is grumpy, or anything, just if he was...) the guy with the scary t-shirt and the piercings, and the tattoos, the "lady" soldier, they are all my neighbors. They all are to get my love, my patience, even when they are rude, my kindness, even if they are mean, my humility, even to their pridefulness, my constance to their inconsistencies, and this love it is to endure. It is a love of Christ, not a love of my own making...
I can't love like this.
But the question is,
will I let Christ Love them, through me. Can I die to myself, my prejudices, my pre conceived notions, my opinions, and let Jesus Love them through me...

When I think that the lady across from me needs to discipline her child, can I just smile lovingly if her child whips a grape my way.... or a spit wad or what ever....

How do we measure up at Love your neighbor.... How do I measure up... not well.... I am convicted by the Lord to really start praying about this, really start letting Him take over, really start spreading more grace, at least as much as I have received, which is A WHOLE LOT...

It was by grace I was saved, a gift of God, not of works, I don't get to boast,
but I ought not hoard it either,
I have the grace, I need to share it....


We love Him, because He first loved us...

So I love because He loves me, so If I have this love
I need to love others....
It isn't as hard as it seems,
I just naturally like to hoard things... I like a full fridge, a full pantry, clothes in my closet, I like holding on. I think I must have a drawer full of love, I need to start spreading it around, and like the loaves and fish, like the oil, it will be replenished....
Will I ?
Will you?