What's Love Got To Do With It?

My husband learned a valuable lesson once God blessed us with two sweet girls.  He said, “Boys are destructive, girls are vindictive.”  I looked at him and just smiled, saying, “Sweetie, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Once I said this, though, my heart became sad.  As I thought back to when I was younger, and all the drama that surrounded my friends, I began to pray my daughters wouldn’t get caught up in all that.  It was one of the reasons I enjoyed hanging out with my guy friends.  If they had an issue with one another, they hashed it out and then five minutes later were best friends again.  Girls though were sneaky.  They would sometimes continue a friendship, faking their sincerity, then turn on you in a second!
All this came to mind as I was doing the first Post Quiet Time in our Silent Sounds booklet from Beach Retreat (SBC).  As Christians, I think one of the areas we struggle with is Love - especially girls.
You would think that love would be easy to convey.  We love our parents and our friends, and it’s easy to express that.  What is hard though is when we have to love someone that may be different from us, or that we don’t get along with.  This is when it is easy to express “fake” love.  
As young women, we are bombarded by peer pressure, the media, and sometimes family to join a certain group and be a certain way, causing us to look down upon others.  I remember watching a show one time that said when you “pitied” someone you said “Bless their little heart.” How condescending!
Let’s look at what Paul said in Romans 12:9-16 (MSG)

“Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.”
   
    Notice how Paul says don’t fake it.  As Christians, we are to have a genuine love that overflows from us.  I love how the message phrases this: love from the center of who you are.  If we are truly Christians, the center of our lives is supposed to be Christ; hence we are to love as He loved. Jesus turned from anything evil and clung to that which was good.  He placed others before Himself (proof when He died on the cross for our sins) and was there for them in times of joy and sorrow, even after death.  
    The world’s view tells us just the opposite. It states that we are number one and that we only should be looking out for our self, to only be around others when it makes us look god or causes us to gain.  If we want to convey true love, we must follow Christ example of love.  So what does this mean for us?  We should turn from gossip when our friends decide to start it up, even when they say it’s “to help”.  We should reach out to those who are considered “unlovable” or rejects?  When schemes to embarrass or laugh at someone present themselves, we should stop it if we can or walk away.  This is showing genuine love.  Remember, Jesus surrounded Himself with the outcast of His time and always showed love.  

    But what about someone who did you wrong?  Sometimes it’s hard to not want to retaliate or lash out in anger.  Some Christians like to refer to the “eye for and eye” verse in the Old Testament to justify their actions but clearly take this verse out of context.  Let’s see what Paul said in Romans 12:17-21 (MSG)

“Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.”

It clearly states that we are to not pay back evil with evil; no more eye for an eye.  We are to love everyone and live in peace with them.  We are not the ones to avenge someone who has done us wrong…it is God’s.  If He has taken care of everything else for us, wouldn’t He take care of this?  It’s sometimes hard to believe in this when it doesn’t happen in the time frame we have or in the way we think it should, but leave it for God to take care of.  We are not the judge.

Have you ever heard the phrase “kill them with kindness”?  Now, I’m not saying truly kill someone, or to have a fake kindness, but to truly reach out to your enemies even though it is hard to.  Once again, it may be very odd to some people, but it’s what we are called to do.  As Christians, we are to love everyone; not just a select few.  It’s hard to love those who do us wrong, but what better way to be a testament for Christ.  

Believe it or not, Jesus loved even those who wanted Him dead.  If He can love those who turned on Him, we can love those who do us wrong because Christ lives in us.

Please hear me when I say I know how hard it is to love those who are not in your group, different from you, or who do you wrong.  I struggled with it as a teen and I still struggle with it now.  Yet, this is something we should strive to do each and every day.  This is the way people can separate us from the world.This is what should set us apart.  “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:35)  The world will know you are a Child of God by your love for everyone.

Living a life of purity involved loving everyone, as Christ loves everyone.