Love's Box of Chocolates
Ok, so I can't have real chocolate (even the dark kind, unless it's labeled vegan)... I digress. This is about Love, marriage, discipleship, friendship, loyalty... It's about how you really DON'T know what you're going to get when you open that box!
There is a kind of Love that is not celebrated too much in our society. We have weddings for lovers, birthdays for family and friends, and even "secretary's day" for office workers. We have web sites dedicated to pet-love, networking sites for that friend-of-a-cousin-of-a-cowerker's-dog's-trainers-sister's-best-friend... But what, may I ask, do we have for celebrating, that's CELEBRATING!!!, the kind of Love that Jesus prayed for in John 17? The kind that draws His followers together IN LOVE! I know, some goody-2-shoes out there might pipe up and say "church, of course!" Well, I think you all know what I think of church. In my book, organized religion isn't all it's cracked up to be. This is about LOVE, not doctrines, not behaviors, not programs and dress-codes... LOVE. L O V E. In it's most simple, pure, and Holy form! Not only the horizontal kind, but the verticle kind, and really, how both kinds bind together into One Godly Love, Echad A'havah. (There's a brain teaser in there, for all you theology buffs.)
I'd like to say here that I wish there WERE a day which, those of us who've experienced true discipleship Love in our relationships with other true disciples, could set aside for the purpose of just having fun and hanging out with each other, swapping discipleship stories, playing games, discussing good Godly books, and just doing whatever else the Spirit leads us to do. Alas, I realize that that's easier said than done. As it is, it's not easy to make and keep privately made plans to celebrate this kind of Love! It really IS sad when life gets so complicated that you just barely are able to make such plans just between two friends! I can't imagine that everyone who's had this kind of Love would be able to set aside the same day, every year, just to chill all day. It's hard enough for those of us who keep Sabbath to find work that doesn't force us to work on Saturday. Still, a Celebrating Discipleship Day IS a wish of mine.
So, what IS this descipleship Love? First off, I'll explain that in my view, it's NOT dry, empty, emotionless works! It's NOT merely going out and feeding the hungry, building homes for the homeless, singing to the sick people in hospitals, because, dontchaknow, that's what disciples do, right - their expected to, right? That's "bandaid" works. Anybody can do it, whether they really want to or not. And many people do such things out of "Christian duty" and not out of Love at all. These activities often keep people distracted from the more important matters of Spiritually bonding in their HEARTS (not just their heads) with each other (not just with total strangers who they feel no real connection with at all).
What it IS, first of all, is realizing that every act of Love (not work, act), is one driven by God's Heart beating within another human being. Secondly, it's looking deep into the ugly side of another human being, accepting that this is how/who they are apart from God, and both Loving and Forgiving them, no matter what, even if they severely hurt you in a way that you are SURE they should have known not to. It's NOT just laying down and being their door-mat! One thing I've learned is that when there is Oneness Love in God between two people, it's OK to show it if you've gotten hurt, to tell them what it was that hurt you, to allow them to cry as they realize what they did to you, to see them for the hurting individual that they are, and to allow them to apologise to you, accepting them as they are. Even when they can't do this with you right now for whatever reason. Discipleship Love is something that no person HAS to do. It's something people can choose to want and be willing to let God do in and through them before it will happen. Thirdly, it's looking even deeper still into another human being's heart, valuing it and building it up, in God's Holy Name, so that they may have the opportunity to see His Love for them as it's played out through your very own body, mind, and heart. You BECOME His instrument, for HIM to play as He will. He inspires you, shows you what to do, tells you, or whatever - He somehow gets you to become so much like Him that it's hard, blessedly hard, for others to tell the difference between you and Him.
No, I'm not perfect in this. God is, and He's working with me. And no, you never know what you're going to get when you bite into one of those scrumptious little candies! Sometimes it's one kind of Love that you alwasy knew you wanted, sometimes it's another kind that's completely new, unexpected, and incredibly satisfying! Either way, you always know it'll be Good because it's from God ;)
Mmmm....
There is a kind of Love that is not celebrated too much in our society. We have weddings for lovers, birthdays for family and friends, and even "secretary's day" for office workers. We have web sites dedicated to pet-love, networking sites for that friend-of-a-cousin-of-a-cowerker's-dog's-trainers-sister's-best-friend... But what, may I ask, do we have for celebrating, that's CELEBRATING!!!, the kind of Love that Jesus prayed for in John 17? The kind that draws His followers together IN LOVE! I know, some goody-2-shoes out there might pipe up and say "church, of course!" Well, I think you all know what I think of church. In my book, organized religion isn't all it's cracked up to be. This is about LOVE, not doctrines, not behaviors, not programs and dress-codes... LOVE. L O V E. In it's most simple, pure, and Holy form! Not only the horizontal kind, but the verticle kind, and really, how both kinds bind together into One Godly Love, Echad A'havah. (There's a brain teaser in there, for all you theology buffs.)
I'd like to say here that I wish there WERE a day which, those of us who've experienced true discipleship Love in our relationships with other true disciples, could set aside for the purpose of just having fun and hanging out with each other, swapping discipleship stories, playing games, discussing good Godly books, and just doing whatever else the Spirit leads us to do. Alas, I realize that that's easier said than done. As it is, it's not easy to make and keep privately made plans to celebrate this kind of Love! It really IS sad when life gets so complicated that you just barely are able to make such plans just between two friends! I can't imagine that everyone who's had this kind of Love would be able to set aside the same day, every year, just to chill all day. It's hard enough for those of us who keep Sabbath to find work that doesn't force us to work on Saturday. Still, a Celebrating Discipleship Day IS a wish of mine.
So, what IS this descipleship Love? First off, I'll explain that in my view, it's NOT dry, empty, emotionless works! It's NOT merely going out and feeding the hungry, building homes for the homeless, singing to the sick people in hospitals, because, dontchaknow, that's what disciples do, right - their expected to, right? That's "bandaid" works. Anybody can do it, whether they really want to or not. And many people do such things out of "Christian duty" and not out of Love at all. These activities often keep people distracted from the more important matters of Spiritually bonding in their HEARTS (not just their heads) with each other (not just with total strangers who they feel no real connection with at all).
What it IS, first of all, is realizing that every act of Love (not work, act), is one driven by God's Heart beating within another human being. Secondly, it's looking deep into the ugly side of another human being, accepting that this is how/who they are apart from God, and both Loving and Forgiving them, no matter what, even if they severely hurt you in a way that you are SURE they should have known not to. It's NOT just laying down and being their door-mat! One thing I've learned is that when there is Oneness Love in God between two people, it's OK to show it if you've gotten hurt, to tell them what it was that hurt you, to allow them to cry as they realize what they did to you, to see them for the hurting individual that they are, and to allow them to apologise to you, accepting them as they are. Even when they can't do this with you right now for whatever reason. Discipleship Love is something that no person HAS to do. It's something people can choose to want and be willing to let God do in and through them before it will happen. Thirdly, it's looking even deeper still into another human being's heart, valuing it and building it up, in God's Holy Name, so that they may have the opportunity to see His Love for them as it's played out through your very own body, mind, and heart. You BECOME His instrument, for HIM to play as He will. He inspires you, shows you what to do, tells you, or whatever - He somehow gets you to become so much like Him that it's hard, blessedly hard, for others to tell the difference between you and Him.
No, I'm not perfect in this. God is, and He's working with me. And no, you never know what you're going to get when you bite into one of those scrumptious little candies! Sometimes it's one kind of Love that you alwasy knew you wanted, sometimes it's another kind that's completely new, unexpected, and incredibly satisfying! Either way, you always know it'll be Good because it's from God ;)
Mmmm....
posted by Caroline Talita Ishshah | 8:41 PM
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