Curl 3 - Living in Love


In this season of 2020.... PAuse.

I came across this verse and my thoughts started curling....


"They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”  But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it."
Mark 9:30‭-‬32 NIV

Jesus loved His disciples so much that he told them the truth gracefully in private even if it hurt and whether they understood or not. Yet the love was was impossible to reciprocate for the disciples back to Him. We expect others to love, care, express themselves to us the way Jesus does through private intimacy, but the truth is, we, ourselves, love one another the way the disciples do- Afraid. Afraid of returning intimacy. We refuse to ask questions and take statements as they are, misunderstanding them and allowing ourselves to be weakened by the enemy's schemes. So we end up rejecting each other like Peter at the drop of a hat. 

I understand as a sinful human we shouldn't be reckless in our love, but aware of ourselves, growing in deeper relationship with one another in various degrees - Brotherly, Marriage (committed and submitted to one another), Parental, Unconditional. When mishandling love,  we can end up hurting ourselves and setting ourselves back or delaying the fullness of love we're meant to experience through Christ. We shouldn't offend our brothers and sisters, yet we end up doing so by being afraid to love back whole heartedly, speaking truth without Grace or being full of Grace without truth. Jentzen Franklin once said "Grace without truth is meaningless and Truth without Grace is just mean." Guarding our hearts through discernment is one thing. Hardening our hearts out of fear from people is another.  If we got robbed one day by a stranger, I'm pretty sure I'll still let people in to my home and not lock them out because someone else robbed me. Unfortunately,  we treat people this way and walk right into the enemy's plan of isolation and divorcing ourselves from people (cancel culture) for reasons that represent 2% of their character over the 98%. This is far from God's way of loving others. 
     Goodness is a promise of ours. Children of God who practice His will, will always be in a win- win- win situation even in times of trouble. I can testify to this time and time again. I declare this quite often especially this year - Psalm 23:6 says "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will (I have decided to) DWELL in the house of the Lord forever"!! Can I get an Amen church?!! Do you live like this? 

      My heart hurts when I see bible thumping believers planning to unlove people over  1 or 2 topics. To clarify- that is not Christian! You're minimizing your humanity by condemning people the way you think you would yourself. Yet, I'm sure you'd want grace if you were in their shoes.  Sure, you might think "That'd never be me." Great! Then stop criticizing someone you couldn't compare yourself to. We judge others by their actions but expect people to judge us by our intentions. Start getting real with yourself. A little Grace goes a long way. 

     Many of us put ourselves in the position of God. Don't bring Christ into your identity. Creating a God out of your favorite verses. That's idolatry.  Stop it! Christians are identified by Christ's identity whether we like it or not. Christianity is a faith. Not an understanding. We're not meant to understand everything and everyone. It's full of persecution meant to be considered as pure joy. Going to church doesn't make me anymore Christian than swimming makes me a fish. I love it now when people oppose me. I might not have a smile on my face, but joy swells up in my heart when I see the growth in me. Opposition lets me see what I'm convinced and convicted about as well as how compassionate I am. If anger swells up, I retreat to the shadow of the Almighty to search my heart again, clean hands and give me a pure heart, so I can come back and love again. 

     I'm not a huge fan of videos or posts that say "a man/woman who truly loves you will..." or " if you are of this belief, unfriend me now...". Get a grip of your soul if you're a Christian sharing these. It's this type of ungodly and poisonous thinking that causes discord in families and generations.  This cookie cutter expectation is what ruins relationships. One man who truly loved me died ONCE on the cross and destroyed the conditions to love one another. I love everyone regardless of their past, present or future. It is not based on their record of wrongs. I know I am loved unconditionally by God. I know His will, His corrections, His discipline and most of all His word is for MY Good. This knowledge helps me to not fear the possible hearthache that occurs in everyday or even intimate human relationships. Real Love is too deep and wide to simply understand and put into a box, statement, declaration or Social Media Post. It is an ongoing conversation of consistent revelation. Don't be afraid to ask questions in order to gain more insight into people. Jesus would never unlove you even after knowing every fiber of your being. It's against His nature. Plan to make it yours... Don't be afraid. If you're a true believer. God is with you. Believe it. Represent Him well. 

In my upcoming curls I'll share some of my reasons for why I'm so passionate about loving others... some of it will be painful to read, but I promise to incorporate some comic relief for the sensitive hearts... Thanks for joining me on this ride...

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