Heart you...

Lately, I have been extremely disappointed in the way people have been acting towards others. I guess I see the worst of it, being a high school girl. However, I think it is a general trend- the world is becoming more “Number One” oriented. The self is dominating, becoming the priority. And that’s pathetic. You can take one look around nearly anywhere, and you see judgment and cattiness. You hear people complaining about others. You hear people crying about how hurt they are. You hear gossip. You see fights. Drama is everywhere. And this isn’t just in non-believers; it’s in believers, too. Obviously, there’s something missing. And you can probably guess what it is.

Give up? It’s love. Genuine, fearless, selfless, complete love.

Over the summer, someone told me that the Bible can be summed up into two main points:
1) Love God
2) Love others
Since then, I have been amazed by how true that statement is. Everything in there points back to love. Everything. My reading has also pointed out to me the extreme lack of love in this world today. It’s missing in groups of friends. It’s missing in families. It’s missing in the way you look at someone walking down the hall. It’s just not always there. We need to learn how to love. Enter our star character in this beautiful story. He’s the perfect example to pattern our lives after- Jesus Christ, an expert on the subject of love. So we look to him…WWJD, right?

In Mark 10, Jesus meets a rich man. This man asks Jesus what he must do in order to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him the basics- follow the commandments. The man informs Jesus that he has obeyed all of these commandments since he was a young boy. John Mark then writes “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21-NIV). Let that sit for a moment. He looked at him, and loved him. NLT says Jesus felt genuine love for him. Jesus, a flawless being, was able to look at a man who he knew full well was about to ditch him so that he could keep his money, and loved him so much that he would later die for him- in place of him. This man was a sinner that could not part with his love of material things in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus was completely aware of this, yet still felt the most powerful love that one can feel for another person. Is it just me, or is that amazing? I wish I had that power!! How cool is it to look at someone and automatically love them? To be able to love-without judging or fearing and without expecting the feelings to be reciprocated. It’s mind boggling.

As believers, we are called to be a picture of Jesus. Matthew 5:48 tells us that we are to be perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect. That means we are called to follow the pattern he has made as closely as possible. But wait…doesn’t this mean we’re supposed to love like this too? I believe so. Think about everybody that you see on a daily basis. I’ll be the first to admit that I am guilty of doing the opposite of Christ. My mind isn’t always in the love gear. I pray that I can get better at this- at loving not only my friends, but the people I don’t have personal relationships with, and even those I who I know don’t feel the same way.

1 John 4:16-19 says, “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect…such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.”

Let us follow in Christ’s example and allow his love to be revealed in us- through our thoughts, words, and actions. In 1 Corinthians 16:14, Paul writes, “…and do everything with love.” Love God, and love others- it’s life.