UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Part II)

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Part II)

Yesterday’s tale of the innocent baby who demonstrated unconditional acceptance of the homeless man challenges both the quantity and quality of our love.  Jesus Christ expressed it best, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)  It is far easier to say ‘I love you’ than to truly exemplify the highest of Christian virtues.  Many people proclaim (with apparent ease), “I love everybody!”  But saying and doing are decidedly different; there must be evidence.

During my elementary school years, science class explored what is commonly called the ‘Litmus Test.’  This simple test determines whether a substance is acid or alkaline.  If the pH (potential of hydrogen in the substance) is acid, the litmus paper turns red in color when exposed to the substance.  If the pH is alkaline, the litmus paper turns blue.  Acids taste sour.  For example, lemon juice is an acidic substance.  Alkaline substances taste bitter.  For example, ammonia is alkaline.

Today, we will take a ‘Spiritual Litmus Test’ to determine if our relationships with family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or strangers are too extreme (sour or bitter) in one direction are another.

Spiritual Litmus Test #1

Do I look for (and expect) the worst in others?

Signs of this type of behavior include…

1.         A tendency to keep mental records of things others say or do that ‘get on my nerves.’

2.        A tendency to speak more negatively, than positively.

3.        A tendency to think or say “I told you she would do that!  I told you so!”

4.       A tendency to believe others are always being deceptive or lying.

Biblical Solutions: 

I Corinthians 13:5b says love “…thinks no evil.”  Verse 6 says love “rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.”

Spiritual Litmus Test #2

Do I have a low tolerance for other people who exhibit attitudes or behaviors that are different from mine?

Signs of this type of behavior include…

1.         A tendency to prejudge people by appearance, color, culture, or socio-economic standing, i.e. to become prejudiced against others because they are different or unfamiliar.

2.        A tendency to be strongly opinionated or have a know-it-all attitude about most things.

3.        A tendency to feel that only ‘me and mine’ know how to get things done ‘the right way.’

Biblical Solutions:

I Corinthians 13:4b says love “…vaunts not itself, is not puffed up.”  Verse 5 says love “does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own…”

Spiritual Litmus Test #3

Do I have the ability to forgive or the tendency to hold on to troublesome issues for extended periods?

Signs of this type of behavior include…

1.         A tendency to hold grudges, i.e. to keep issues alive and active until they change the way I communicate or interact with others.

2.        A tendency to have a negative attitude that eventually results in critical comments and harsh treatment of others.

3.        A tendency to display childish behaviors, i.e. verbal outbursts or temper tantrums.

Biblical Solutions:

I Corinthians 13:4a says love “suffers long, and is kind.”  Verse 5b says love “…is not easily provoked, thinks no evil.”  Verse 7 says love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

The negative behavioral signs (outlined above) identify sour and bitter personality traits that will not pass the Spiritual Litmus Test.  FYI, there will be no sour or bitter people in Heaven!  Should you find that these characteristics actually mirror your attitudes or actions, here are some divine prescriptions from The Master, Love Personified, JESUS CHRIST:  1] The Golden Rule (Luke 6:31); 2] “Judge not…condemn not…” (Luke 6:37); 3] “…love one another…” (John 13:34-35); 4] “…forgive men their trespasses [and] your heavenly father will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14); 5] “…forgive…I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21)  In other words, forgiveness is virtually unlimited!

Sisters and brothers, let us strive steadfastly to walk in unconditional love…because GOD IS LOVE, and He must be fully alive and dynamically radiating from deep within. (I John 4:7-8)

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Part I)

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE (Part I)

Allow me to share a story that I read some time ago.  It is a compelling tale told by a young wife and mother, and it involves something completely extraordinary, incomprehensible and priceless: the unconditional love of a young baby.  It will challenge the quantity and quality of our love!

We were the only family with children in the restaurant.  I sat Eric in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking.  Suddenly, Eric squealed with glee and shouted, “HI!”  He pounded his fat baby hands on the highchair tray.  His eyes were wide open with excitement and his mouth displayed a huge toothless grin.  He wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and was surprised to see the source of Eric’s joy.  It was an old man whose pants were baggy…with his zipper at half-mast…and his toes poking out of would-be shoes.  His shirt was filthy and his hair was unwashed and uncombed.  His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose had so many varicose veins that it looked like a road map.  We were too far from him to catch a whiff…but I was totally sure that he smelled very bad!  He was just sitting there, hands waving and flapping like Jell-O, completely holding the attention of my beautiful baby!

“Hey there baby…hi there big boy!  I see ya’ buster,” the man called out gently to Eric.  My husband and I exchanged looks and whispered, “What should be do?”  Our adorable baby boy, Eric, continued to laugh and answer this disheveled man, “Hi!  Hi!  Hi!”  We were completely flabbergasted.  Everyone in the restaurant seemed to notice and they glance over at us sympathetically…and then they looked with disgust at ‘that man.’  Their eyes seemed to say, ‘That old geezer has some nerve, creating a public nuisance with such a handsome baby!’  As our meal came, the man kept calling to Eric across the room, “Do you know patty cake?  Do you know peek-a-boo?  Look at that smart boy…he knows peek-a-boo!”

Nobody thought any of this was cute.  He was obviously drunk and dirty.  My husband and I felt embarrassed.  We ate in silence, except for Eric, who was now running through his repertoire of the things-he-could-do to gain more admiration and attention from this skid-row bum, who in turn reciprocated with his annoying comments.  We hurried through our meal so we could head for the door.  My husband went to pay the check and asked me to meet him in the parking lot.

The old ragged man sat positioned between me and the door.  “Lord,” I thought, “if you can just let me get out of here before he speaks to Eric or me.”  As I drew closer to the door…closer to the man…I turned my back, trying to side-step him and by all means to avoid any odor or air he might be exhaling.  As I did this, Eric suddenly leaped over my arm, reaching out with both arms in a baby’s ‘pick-me-up’ position.  Before I could stop him, Eric had propelled himself from my arms, right into the man’s arms.

Immediately, this very old smelly man and my young beautiful baby consummated their growing love relationship.  In an act of total trust, love and submission, Eric laid his tiny head upon the man’s shoulders.  That old homeless man’s eyes closed, and I saw tears rolling down his face.  His aged hands, that looked to be so full of grime and pain, gently (so gently) cradled my baby’s bottom and stroked my baby’s back.

Watching this union, I felt sure that no two human beings had every loved so deeply in such a short period of time.  I stood there…paralyzed and awestruck.  The old man rocked and cradled Eric in his arms for a moment, and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine.  He said in a firm, sober and commanding voice, “You take care of this baby.”  Somehow I managed to squeeze “I will” from my constricted throat, which at the moment seemed full of stones.  He pried Eric from his chest, unwillingly, longingly, as though he was in actual pain.

I happily received my baby as the man whispered, “God bless you, Ma’am, you’ve given me my Christmas gift.”  I said nothing more and raced toward the car, holding Eric close to me.  My husband wondered why I was holding on to Eric so tightly, crying and mumbling, “My God, my God, forgive me.”  For I had just witnessed Christ’s love, shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin and made no judgments…a child who saw a living and loving soul…and a mother who had only seen raggedy and dirty clothes.  I was a Christian who was blind, holding a baby who was not blind.  And I felt as if God, Himself, was asking – “Are you willing to share your son for a moment?” – although HE had shared HIS SON for all time and eternity.  That homeless old man and my son reminded me, unwittingly, that “To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children.”

Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow!

THE CRACKED POT

THE CRACKED POT

If you think you have no value because of your imperfections, consider this:

There were two pots that served one woman’s need to provide water for her family.  One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.  So at the end of each day’s long walk from the stream back to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.  For two years this went on, with the woman bringing home only one-and-a-half pots of water.  Of course, the perfect pot was very proud of its accomplishments.  But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfections, and quite miserable that it could only do half of what it had been designed to do.

After two years of what it perceived as total failure, the imperfect pot spoke to its master by the stream.  “I am really ashamed of myself,” the pot admitted sadly, “because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your home.”  The old woman simply smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?  That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.  For two years I have been able to pick those beautiful flowers to decorate our dinner table.  Without you being just the way you are, we would not have all that wonderful beauty to grace our home.”

Each one of us has unique flaws.  Perhaps it’s the cracks and flaws we have that make our lives together so interesting and rewarding.  Lesson learned: Look for the good in every person.  To all of my ‘crackpot friends,’ please remember to discover and appreciate the flowers on your side of the pathway.

-Author Unknown

Should you require biblical confirmation for the foregoing parable, tune in to Paul:

II Corinthians 12:7-10

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

⁸ For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

⁹ And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

While I am not promoting our shortcomings, it is uncanny and awesome how God uses our weaknesses for His Kingdom and His glory.  I am gratified that God chooses “the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…and the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” (I Corinthians 1:27)  Perhaps, this is why God is able to use someone like me…and possibly, that is why He can utilize someone like you.  My sisters and brothers, be continually blessed!

GET OVER YOURSELF!

GET OVER YOURSELF!

The fastest and most effective way to escape from feelings of personal rejection, pain, doubt, despair, or depression is to get up (right now), get moving (right now) and resolve (today and every day) to focus on the needs of others.  Whether you know it or not, GOD wants to use YOU!  So why are you sitting there, passively waiting for some random event to occur?  Whenever you move in the power of GOD...YOU become His proactive, productive and powerful agent for miracles!

My sister, my brother, cancel your pity party!  Haven’t you noticed by now that no one shows up for it but you?  Be faithful and fruitful in the KINGDOM OF GOD and (as a direct result) be eternally blessed.  Amen? 

Amen!  Amen!  Amen!