Love Myths #5 Series

Notice who owns the process all the way through – it is the first person who sees or it might be the person who was sinned against. As we follow it through, see how much love this takes? First it takes enough love to not ignore and bury and choose to just walk away. Next it takes enough love to work through it internally so that we can go in love and not in anger or revenge. Next it takes enough love to not just drop it and nurture more hurt if it doesn’t work the first time, but instead to involve one or two others who can also go, listen to both sides (as always), and confirm. Next it takes even more love for this same person to take it to the church. I have to honestly say, I’m not sure I have ever seen this process followed through like that. I’ve seen lots give up before step one. I’ve seen only a few do step one at all, and even fewer do that first step out of love for the other person. But I’m not sure I’ve seen the next step, of that first person taking two or three with them to love enough to have that conversation; though I have seen that first person gather some others and then take their case to the church and expect the church to deal with the situation. Why not? I think because it is too hard, takes too much time, we don’t think it would “work”, and ultimately because maybe we don’t love enough to do something that hard.

Getting in Shape to Love Like Jesus:

That little journey into Matt. 18 was to illustrate the point that love is hard, and takes a lot of effort and a lot of work. That brings me back to where we started, thinking about Olympic athletes, and what is in their power/control, to the realization that love is not easy (nor should it be), a theme I’m reading right now in preparation for Lent, and our Lenten focus as a congregation.

The theme in my reading is encapsulated in this quote – a little lengthy, but you’ll see the connection:

“Those exquisite responses we see, the amazing timing and strength an athlete displays, aren’t produced and maintained by the short hours of the game itself. They are available to the athlete for those short and all-important hours because of a daily regimen no one sees… Some of those daily habits may even seem silly to us, but the successful athlete knows that his disciplines must be undertaken, and undertaken rightly, or all his natural talents and best efforts will go down in defeat to others who have disciplined themselves in preparation for game time.

… this is not a truth to be set aside when we come to our relationship with God… A baseball player who expects to excel in the game without adequate exercise of his body is no more ridiculous than the Christian who hopes to be able to act in the manner of Christ when put to the test without the appropriate exercise in godly living.

… and in this truth lies the secret of the easy yoke: the secret involves living as he lived in the entirety of his life – adopting his overall life-style.