So ever since Los Angeles I've been reflecting on life and live and all that important jazz. I realize that so often I just do what I do without taking even a second to really see those that I come into contact with. There must be hundreds of people every week that I 'see'. There is the lady that cashes me out at the grocery store. A ton of students that I walk past in the hallways of UTSA, or sit next to in class. There is the lady sitting next to me in the waiting room at the dentist's office. Etc, etc!
I realized that I miss a million opportunities to love them or maybe just to bring a touch of joy to their lives. Maybe by smiling at them. Maybe by offering them a seat. Whatever way, Christ has called us to love others.
Often we take this to mean that we need to love those that we have acquaintances with or friendships with. And we should!
But then the past few weeks I have been pondering how those that are closest to us often receive the least amount of love. Ok, so maybe we love them, but do we REALLY love them?
There are times that I am so critical of things that my family does. I get frustrated because what they do don't cater to me. They don't act in the way that I want them to.
Last week as I thought about these instances that were not particularly pleasing to me, God stopped me in my tracks and showed me that I was being selfish and in no way does selfishness=love.
Funny how the people that I love the most probably know it the least.
Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
I Corinthians 13 'The Message'
After that moment, I realized that step #1 is that I need to start praying for my family. Someone once told me that it's really hard to be frustrated or upset with someone when you are praying for them. Right on! Step #2 there are little things that I don't do, like telling my family that I love them. Like taking a few extra minutes to sit down and ask how their day was. Like taking a few minutes to just call and say hi and check up on them. And like taking several minutes to serve them by washing their car, or by doing the dishes, or by folding the laundry.
Like these things take maybe fifteen minutes to do them, but I think time shows where your heart is. (Ok that's definately my love language) but either way, when I take the time to care, I know that God sees that and I hope it makes Him feel the love that I have for Him too.
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Because, let's be honest here, the easiest thing to do is to want my desires to be met. I want to receive and if I don't then I'm going to be upset and put friction in those relationships. Humanly we want to receive more than we give. Or in our minds at least equally. But I have a distorted view of that and I always think I do more than I actually do.
Ok so this is getting really long, but I want to insert a quote:
From 'The Pursuit of God' by A.W. Tozer
"A fairly accurate description of the human race might be furnished to one unacquainted with it by taking the Beatitudes, turning them wrong side out and saying, 'here is your human race...' Instead of poverty of spirit we find the rankest kind of pride; instead of mourners we find pleasure seekers; instead of meekness, arrogance; instead of hunger after righteousness we hear men saying, 'I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing;' instead of mercy we find cruelty; instead of purity of heart, corrupt imaginings; instead of peacemakers we find men quarrelsome and resentful; instead of rejoicing in mistreatment we find them fighting back with every weapon at their command."
