Keep Bleeding in Love

I haven't blogged in a little while, obviously, and this is the first since the break up...ironically enough, I really wanted to address the idea of love...not romantic love, but love between people as people.

My BIGGEST pet peeve is when people just don't care about another person--especially Christians. I think I hold Christians to a much higher standard, which maybe isn't a good thing, but in all respect, we are representing our most holy and perfect God.

I witness, and even experience, all too much a person who does not genuinely care when talking to or is with another person and it breaks my heart. We are called to love God first and foremost but next we are called to love our brothers, our sisters, our neighbors. Of course we're going to come across those certain few that annoy, anger, whatever us...that does not give us the right to ditch or ignore that person. That only gives us the opportunity to show genuine love and genuine Christianity.

Christ does not call us into comfort, He calls us into what is right--sometimes that just happens to be uncomfortable. I can't tell you enough how rewarding and awesome an experience it was when I fought myself, bit my tongue, and reached out to understand a person who drove me nuts. This person turned out to be an amazing human being and I found that they felt such pain from people who never took the initiative to actually get to know them and who they are. Taking the time to call, text, eat dinner with this person spoke volumes that I could've never done any other way.

Joy is found in loving Christ, then other people (everyone), and then yourself. It doesn't take much out of your life to call someone you know looks up to you. It doesn't take much out of your life to invite someone to come with you to do anything, really. It means the world to that person though. I say this out of experience of someone doing this for me. When a person genuinely wants to know you for you and wants to spend any amount of his or her precious time on you, it means so much, does it not? Why not return the favor? Why not love others like Christ loved others since we claim to want to be like Him?

Matthew 5:43-48 reminds us of Jesus' words when He says:
You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. (NLT)

We all yearn for someone to reach out to us, someone to care, someone to genuinely and truly love us. There is no other greater thing we can do as Christians than to love. It is one of the best evangelism methods out there, to show that we represent a God who truly does love and desires a relationship. Please, let us just love without apology and love without fear.

We as a family are failing in this area. We tell a person that they can call at anytime for anything at all but then we don't deliver. We value our sleep too much or, we're too wrapped up in conversation, or...you know your excuse. I'm guilty of it all too much and it kills me. I want to listen and empathize, I want to speak truth when needed, I want to sit and weep with a wounded soul. Christ was never too busy to sit down and talk to even a peasant...that's huge! This man of honor, of amazing poise takes time out of His life for everyone who desires it...everyone who needs it. He loved like whoa. We should too. I do love you and I'd love to hear from you ;)