I was so excited to say goodbye to 2020 and welcome the New Year with new possibilities and new beginnings. Then the news our capitol was being taken over, and people were dying derailed me. I was hoping the unrest of 2020 was behind us, but it isn’t. I found myself depressed and heartbroken. I easily get pulled down in spirit and soul over troubling news.
A sense of helplessness can take over my thoughts. I want to make sense of it all. I confess I often worry before I remember to pray. I try to figure out how it will all get resolved. What can I do to end the strife and violence? Eventually, after acknowledging it is way too big for me, I pray. Frankly, it takes me too long to begin praying. This week I found myself asking, “What does the Lord want from me during this time? What is God’s mission statement for me right now in my corner of the world?” Several scriptures came to mind.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). How do I do this? What does it look like? There are so many different voices screaming their answers.
The Great Commandment
Then came to mind Matthew 22:37-40 when Jesus was asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? “He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.'” Could it be any simpler? Love is God’s mission statement for my life.
It is a straightforward mission but not easy to achieve. I am selfish. I want my way. I want others to agree with my opinions. God works so differently than we do. His method seems counterintuitive: “love your enemy, do good to those who persecute you, never return evil for evil.” My human perspective is initially quite different. I want to win! I want my way. I want life to be fair (my version of fair, of course,)
Most of us want to love; I know I do. But my will, my pride, and my selfishness often get in the way. I think we get confused about love. We approach love as if it is weak, mushy, and always compliant. The Greek word “love” used in Matthew 22 is agapao. This type of love results in action. It is not based on feelings and is unconditional. I can unconditionally love my neighbor only as a result of loving God, my father, and my creator.
Love Remains When All Else Fails
Agape love requires hard and intentional work. It speaks truth not with cruelty but with kindness and compassion. Love remains strong and upright, even when rejected. Love is not about words, although it is nice to hear I am loved. It is about risk, perseverance, and hope. Love can be painful. Jesus’s love for the world hurt while He hung on the cross. When you genuinely love, you are vulnerable. You are risking that those you love may not love you in return. Jesus took the risk, knowing that many would not return His love. Deep, pure love is not for sissies. The perils are great. Love remains when all else fails.
My life may not always manifest the agape love of God. I don’t know how to love unconditionally from pure motives on a day-to-day basis. I get hurt, confused, and fearful at times. Each time I get overwhelmed, I find I must go back to the fundamental question, “How then shall I live?” Each time the answer is the same: fix my eyes on Jesus, anchor myself to Jesus, and review His mission for me to LOVE.
Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Political views, philosophies, methods, etc., will come and go, but God’s word, His Love and Forgiveness, will not change. It will stand forever.
I can not solve the world’s problems. How God uses and directs me may be very different than the way He uses and leads you. One thing is sure; we cannot go wrong if we adhere to the great commandment, to love God with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves. I may not be able to change the entire world, but I can make a difference in my little corner of it.
Keep your spirit strong and your heart soft. Genuine love requires both.
Blessings,
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” ~Mother Theresa
Personal Parables is the blog of Dyann Shepard. Get Dyann’s complementary study in Proverbs and prayer guide, What to Do When You Don’t Feel Good Enough. If you need encouragement to remember the truth about yourself in times of doubt and anxiety, this free 5-day study is for you. Follow Dyann and Personal Parables on Instagram and Facebook. Dyann is available for speaking, guest blogging, and article writing.
Scripture for Meditation
We can turn to scripture for more on God’s mission for our lives. Meditate on these verses to learn more about LOVE.
I Corinthians 13:4-8a – Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love never fails.
Ephesians 4:14-16 – Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, of speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Hebrews 6:19, 20 – We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
II Chronicles 7:14 – If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I John 4:16 – If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Luke 6:27-28 – But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Music for Reflection
Our mission is LOVE! Listen to some music that celebrates love after reading my post, God’s Mission Statement.
