So last night two of my girl friends and I had to do some homework and so at about 10:30 pm we set off for a little cafe near downtown Austin to study and write our papers (boys were going to come but they ended up backing out at the last minute - in the meanwhile, homework had to be done!). While we were there, two older men (37 and 40) came and sat at the booth next to us and began to strike up a conversation. While generally this is not socially acceptable, I personally love it when strangers talk. It makes me feel like the world is more connected and in community than we generally think. I just believe that if we're all humans, why not all be friends instead of all of us living in our own little worlds and constantly missing the fun of the other worlds around us? I don't know if that makes sense but that is why I like it when strangers strike up conversations.
Anyways, we ended up talking to them on and off for about two hours. The subjects of conversation ranged from religion and politics to our favorite movies. The discussions/arguments were heated and opinionated and for not knowing each other, I would say it was one of the most interesting and eye opening conversations I've ever had. I was seriously surprised at how stereotypical and judgmental someone his age could be. It hurt my heart.
Now here is where the question of how to love/live radically comes up. As we were leaving, they were waiting by the side of the road for a cab. It was very cold for a night in Texas and they asked us for a ride home instead of waiting. My friends and I freaked out, said no, hopped in the car and sped away. As a young female college student, is it right for me to withhold love if it is not the safe thing to do? Or should I risk danger so that I can truly love? In this situation, I believe we did the right thing. No middle aged man in his right mind could possibly think that it is socially acceptable to ask girls our age for a ride at 2am. However, in similar situations....I do not know what the answer to this is. I feel as though I should love; but most people do not agree with that.
This is something I have a feeling I will be speculating on every time I am put in a situation where being a young woman makes me hold back Jesus' radical and gritty love...
Monday, January 24, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Learning to Love
I've been thinking a lot lately about how to love like Jesus because while his love was crazy and radical and difficult, my love tends to seem lame and mediocre. Even love for him, the Creator of everything and a being actually made out of love- he literally reeks of love- is hard for me to muster up sometimes. I can never love him enough.
In "Crazy Love" Francis Chan writes, "It confuses me when loving God is hard. Shouldn't it be easy to love a God so wonderful?...It may sound 'un-Christian' to say that on some mornings I don't feel like loving God, or I just forget to. But I do. In our world, where hundreds of things distract us from God, we have to intentionally and consistently remind ourselves of Him." I wholeheartedly agree. What's the deal?! It is actually difficult for me to sincerely love my Creator and his creations.
In John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love me, you will do what I command." That doesn't just mean not stealing and not cussing. It doesn't just mean to smile at someone who looks sad. It means disciplining, being willing to give up everything I own, and dying to myself. It means genuinely loving the person who annoys me most. It means not spending my money on things that don't matter but actually getting up off of my butt and doing what I can to stop injustice, hunger, and preventable diseases in other countries. It means picking up my cross (as David Platt puts it, my "instrument of torture") and following Jesus.
I know it's a crazy endeavor and it's going to be difficult and I may end up lonely and rejected at times, but I want to live for the Jesus who loved me enough to die a nasty, awful, painful death; and that means learning to love like him. This next passage is just the beginning of some of the stuff Jesus asks us to do. It's gonna be a crazy ride.
Matthew 25: 34-45
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’"
In "Crazy Love" Francis Chan writes, "It confuses me when loving God is hard. Shouldn't it be easy to love a God so wonderful?...It may sound 'un-Christian' to say that on some mornings I don't feel like loving God, or I just forget to. But I do. In our world, where hundreds of things distract us from God, we have to intentionally and consistently remind ourselves of Him." I wholeheartedly agree. What's the deal?! It is actually difficult for me to sincerely love my Creator and his creations.
In John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love me, you will do what I command." That doesn't just mean not stealing and not cussing. It doesn't just mean to smile at someone who looks sad. It means disciplining, being willing to give up everything I own, and dying to myself. It means genuinely loving the person who annoys me most. It means not spending my money on things that don't matter but actually getting up off of my butt and doing what I can to stop injustice, hunger, and preventable diseases in other countries. It means picking up my cross (as David Platt puts it, my "instrument of torture") and following Jesus.
I know it's a crazy endeavor and it's going to be difficult and I may end up lonely and rejected at times, but I want to live for the Jesus who loved me enough to die a nasty, awful, painful death; and that means learning to love like him. This next passage is just the beginning of some of the stuff Jesus asks us to do. It's gonna be a crazy ride.
Matthew 25: 34-45
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’"
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