John 13:34-35 – So now I am giving you a new commandment; Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
This past week, I did not live this verse very well. I was short tempered, annoyed, and generally on edge when it came to anything that interrupted the fragile peace in my head.
It came out as snappish, unfriendly, and impatient behavior toward those who rightfully expected much better from me. I am thankful that up until that point, I had earned a little grace with them by having been loving and kind. When I admitted my failings and apologized to those who had been impacted by my lack of sensitivity to my own behavior, they were all more than gracious to forgive me and remind me that I AM human.
After being able to take a couple days to regain my balance and spend time recharging in prayer and worship, I know I am in a better place now to live this command.
Loving others with the kind of sacrificial love Jesus is commanding in John 13 isn’t easy under good circumstances. When there are things going on behind the scenes in our own lives draining the strength from us, it can feel impossible. It can feel as if you have nothing to give, yet more and more people are asking you to give your time, your ear, your advice, your patience, and on and on…
But this verse is a prime example of the kind of everything we can do through Christ. When our human endurance is pushed to the limit, God’s wisdom helps us to listen and respond rather than react, and His grace gives us the strength and power we need to maintain our composure when it would be so much easier to lash out or walk away.
The kind of love Jesus asks us to display here is also the kind of love that acknowledges when we haven’t been as loving as we should have been. Loving others in this way demands that we recognize how our actions affect others, and it means we take responsibility for our actions.
Everyone has bad days. But if our bad days cause us to act in unloving ways, we need to own that behavior and apologize for it whenever possible. Owning our own messes is one of the quickest ways to earn someone’s respect. And not just owning it, but being part of correcting any damage it may have done, and then doing something to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
That kind of love is rare in today’s society, and will make you behave and respond differently than most people you know. Behaving and responding in a loving way in the midst of an unloving world can’t help but make people wonder why you do, or even can, love others the way you do This kind of love is the mark of a true Christian.
Hope Always
Michelle B.
Current Playlist:
- Defender by Jesus Culture (Katie Torwalt)
- Known by Tauren Wells
Current Read:
- God’s Favorite House by Tommy Tenney
- God Catchers by Tommy Tenney