Faith Through the Journey

We have been studying the book of John in our Sunday School class for a number of months. This past Sunday, after studying chapter 15, the command of Jesus to love one another hit me like it hasn’t in a long time. I’ve read it hundreds of times, of course, but the full impact of exactly what that means was almost overwhelming. The command Jesus gave His disciples over and over was “Love one another as I have loved you”. Jesus loved them–and us–enough to die for us even when we didn’t know or love Him. Normally I can pretty well check that box and say that I do love others, care about their welfare and want them to know Jesus so that they can go to heaven when they die. That’s the “high overview” kind of love. But what happens when I encounter people who are particularly unlovable, or people who are being unkind to me or my family or friends?

Ironically, this week we had the “opportunity” to put loving people who aren’t necessarily nice to us into practice. Because of my husband’s political involvement, he runs the risk of becoming a target for anyone who may not agree with all of his leadership decisions. There are also issues of confidentiality that he scrupulously observes. When he could not share all of his reasons for a difficult decision he made last week, the grenades were launched against him. Some people were very unkind, speaking angry lies because they were not privy to all of the “information” to which they believed they were entitled. In every part of his position of leadership, my husband has prayed and I have prayed for and with him. He has “grace and mercy” in the midst of the storm, but since I am not directly involved, I do not have the same grace and mercy! When someone I love is under attack, very unjustly, I want to jump to their defense and take on the attackers. Loving them as Jesus loves them is not the first thing I think about doing!

One of the “benefits” of having studied the Bible for so many years is that I have zillions of verses running through my mind as I encounter various life circumstances. Not only was I thinking about loving others as Jesus loves them, but also my (and my husband’s) reaction to the unfair treatment. Proverbs 15:1 came to mind: “A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire” (The Message); “A soft answer turns away wrath, but harsh words cause quarrels” (The Living Bible). My husband DID answer softly, even if others didn’t like his answers. He wasn’t depending on man’s responses, but did the right thing. Proverbs 16:7 says: “When God approves of your life, even your enemies will end up shaking your hand” (The Message); “When a man is trying to please God, God makes even his worst enemies to be at peace with him” (The Living Bible). While my husband was responding properly, what was I, as his wife, supposed to do? Proverbs 31:11 states: “Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it” (The Message); “She will not hinder him, but help him all her life” (The Living Bible). Okay, deep breath…I want to help and not hinder my husband, and I want him to trust me without reserve and not be worried that I will say something to damage or embarass him. Which brings me back to loving others as Jesus loves them, not being unkind or angry with them, and choosing to obey even when it is difficult.

There’s a song that came out about a hundred years ago (or maybe only 47!), entitled “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love”, and that is EXACTLY what Jesus meant by commanding us to love one another. His followers are to be marked by their unconditional love for others: love that defies explanation; love that can only come from the Father, through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit in His childrens’ lives; loving when doing so makes no sense from a human perspective, but obeying God and knowing that we are pleasing HIM. His approval, after all, is what matters, and His opinion is the only one that counts!