But what about the other side of the coin? What about those relationships where it seems as if we are pouring into to someone, but they don't seem to mind not pouring into us? What about the co-worker that takes the support, but never gives it? What about the cousin who always needs a favor, but is never available to help when you need it? What about the parent that demands the most of you, but always has excuses as to why they don't need to show up for themselves? These are the relationships that, naturally, we want to avoid. We want to "shake them off", as Taylor Swift would put it. We want to ignore, retreat and, at times, reject, such situations from our lives because, as we all know, love is suppose to be positive, happy and fun, right? Wrong!"The world thinks that Christians are push overs sometimes because we keep giving and giving. It's not always easy and Christ never said that life was suppose to be easy. Love is hard. It's not about unicorns and rainbows. It's a daily fight against our flesh to love others like Jesus"- Jessica Gray, Pearls of Hope
This was the kickstart to our discussion! What do you think about Jessica's comment? In my heart, I felt so at peace to hear her words because it's comforting to know that I am not alone in the struggle to love difficult people- or to love easy people in difficult situations. It is a fight, as Jessica said. It is a daily decision that we must make, to pick up our cross and love like Jesus! As Beth Moore so eloquently put it, "there is madness and gladness when you invest yourself in other people". There are no guarantees that people will accept you, love you, respect you or value you. There are no promises given in scripture that if you treat people kindly and show them love that they will extend it back to you in return. Yet we are still called to love, regardless, just as Jesus has loved us.
In a way, it makes me so much more thankful to my Savior, because I realize that Christ put himself in this very position. He died for the sins of all human-kind, with no guarantee that he would be accepted, valued or loved in return. Yet, he was willing to take that risk for you and me. What love!!!
During our discussion, we were also reminded of the parable of the King and the Debtor (Matthew 18:21-35). Ariel Taylor, one of our newest Pearls, did such a great job retelling this story:
A man owed a king a great debt (like thousands). He was arrested and sentenced to prison because he could not pay. But the man pleaded for his life and the king had mercy on him and forgave his debt. The next day, debt free, the man ran into an associate who owed him a few hundred dollars. Enraged that the associate did not have the money, the man grabbed his comrade by the throat and demanded instant payment. When some of his other associates saw this, they went and told the King. When the King heard this, he was disgusted and sent the man to be tortured for his evil deeds and greed.
...So... What in the world does this have to do with loving others? What does this have to do with Jesus? WE are all the debtors. Our sins, our selfishness, our ill motives and bad habits... they have put us in spiritual debt before God. We all owe a great price for our sins, as scripture says it- "the wages of sin is death"! (Romans 6:23). Yet, with no guarantee that we would receive his free payment, Jesus came and gave his life for ours instead. His love is like a bag of gold for our souls! Our sins/our debt have been forgiven! How much more should we show compassion and love for others? How much more should we share the gold, without hesitations or requirements attached. If we want to be effective Christians, we have to learn to share what we've been given. It's not ours to keep, we've been bought with a price! (1 Corinthians 6:20)
Love is a daily fight. It has it's highs and it's lows. It has its rainbows and its storms. It can come in the form of romance or it can come in the form of friendship or family relations. Love is multifaceted, yet the commandment is not: "Love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12).
Let's be like Jesus and love hard, as he does! Let's show the world our bravery to love without limits, give freely and share openly the same as our Savior does for us! Let's give what we've been given!
There is gladness in the madness and the results, even if never experienced here on earth, will be worth the sacrifice in Heaven! Let's share our bag of gold with the world and love on purpose!
Live lovingly!
~Pearls
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