*Please take some time to read this and at the end give us your ideas on how to love people. I will compile the ideas in a new blog post.
These are uncommon times, experiences most of us have never seen before. Uncommon times call for uncommon measures including quarantine and social distancing, constraints that isolate us and feel like a loss of freedom. But there is one thing that no one can take from us. There is one thing that has no constraints: Love.
No one can stop us from loving others. No one can prevent us from showing kindness to others. No one can get in the way of love. It is the one thing that never fails.
While fear is gripping our nation and sickness is knocking at our door, we have an opportunity to demonstrate love in uncommon ways, in ways that stand in contrast to the outbreak of panic and pandemic. Extraordinary love brings light to the darkest times.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 provides a beautiful description of love that serves as our brainstorming guide. When we pull away from our televisions and social media (I am speaking to myself here.) and take time to check in with the Father, He will give us ideas on how to show love to the people around us. Let’s take a look at God’s guide for love.
Love is patient. Love takes a deep breath and waits for a moment, then an hour, then a day or a week when everyone else rushes forward for themselves. It waits for someone in need. It slows down when everyone else is in a hurry.
Love is kind. Imagine all of us waking up in the morning and asking God to show us what acts of kindness He would like is to perform today. We would spend our days looking for ways to be kind. And we would fill our streets with the kindness of Jesus.
Love is not jealous. When we are constrained by the love of God and it controls everything we do, we don’t have time to concern ourselves with someone else’s possessions. It shifts our thinking. Instead, we look at what we have and how we can share with others.
Love does not boast. Love doesn’t boast because it is not looking inward, it is looking outward and upward. Love looks outward, searching for someone touch, someone to embrace. Love looks upward to receive God’s supernatural love beyond anything we could muster up from inside our own hearts.
Love is not proud. Like boasting, arrogance goes beyond pride to say, “Look at me. I am the best and most important.” Love says, “Look around, look at others.” Love empowers us to be aware of what is happening around us, always encouraging those that God brings across our path.
Love does not dishonor others. There is such temptation to point fingers at others, constantly. But blame, condemnation and slander come from the enemy. They are the tools of his evil trade. Love believes the best, lifts people up, encourages them, helps them see light when they are surrounded by darkness.
Love is not self-seeking. Self-seeking takes pride to the next level. Pride is an attitude and self-seeking acts selfishly. Instead of constantly asking, “What is in it for me?”, we can ask others, “What do you need today? How can I help you? or How are you doing?”
Love is not easily angered. Since love originates from God, it carries with it an unstoppable force. It cannot be moved from its anchor. It cannot be stopped in its tracks. It breaks down all barriers and moves forward unchecked. No one can upset us when we are constrained by love.
Love keeps no record of wrongs. Filled with the love of God, we run to forgiveness and reduce hours or days of bitterness and frustration down to seconds. Love empowers us to let go of the chains of unforgiveness and move quickly to a clean slate. It frees us to live again.
Love does not delight in unrighteousness. It breaks the heart of love to see injustice and inequity for anyone. Love recognizes when something isn’t right and turns away without hesitation. It searches for what is right and promotes what is good.
Love rejoices with the truth. Righteousness and truth kiss each other. They embrace and explode in love. Why? Because love deeply desires everyone to experience the beauty of everything God designed for an exceptional, abundant life. Love turns quickly to truth, catches people doing good, and celebrates acts of kindness.
Love bears the weight of all things. No matter what threatens or attacks us, love stands up against it. It endures. It holds up under the weight of famine, disease, and death. It cannot be defeated.
Love trusts no matter what happens. There is something about a “love first” stance that makes us immovable. It keeps us in faith, when we are surrounded by fear. It gives us confidence in our path forward. It never stops trusting. It never stops believing for the best, because it knows that nothing can conquer love.
Love hopes all things. When there seems to be no hope, love is always the eternal optimist. It sees a way when there seems to be no way. It longs for freedom for those who are help captive by their own limitations and choices. It changes the way we see people, not just for their actions, but for their troubled hearts, hearts that long to be liberated.
Love perseveres all things. It never runs out of steam. It never wears out. It never gives up. It never goes away. It always remains. No matter what comes against it, love keeps going and eventually wins.
Love never fails. God provides an infinite supply of His love to His children. There is no end to His lovingkindness. We could pour out love every moment of every day of our lives and we would not deplete His love in the slightest. It is infinite.
Love never fails and it is ours today. Today, we can bathe in the love of God, receive it deep in our hearts and be filled with His love. There is no end to His love. Nothing can contain it. Nothing can hold it back. It always accomplishes what it sets out to do. It never fails.
Can you imagine an army of God’s people empowered with His love going out into the world today? Nothing could stop that army. No one could stand in its way.
Let’s be that army today…and tomorrow…and forever. Let’s take to the streets with love!
My prayer is that you “…may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
- Ephesians 3:18-19
Please take a minute to share some ideas on how we can show love to others in these uncommon times.