So many times we're afraid to love completely because we're afraid of being hurt. Maybe you've never had that experience and if not then Praise God because that probably means that trust in your relationships throughout your life has was never broken beyond repair. For some of us, that's not the case, and it makes it that much harder to open up and let someone in. The truth is that God still calls us to love one another and our example of love is Christ, a complete and selfless love, a laying down of one's self without any expectation that that love will be returned. In a way, my experiences have prepared me to love that way and Jesus is giving me the grace to open up and walk it out more and more each day.
I heard a song on the radio the other day written by Matt Hammitt called "All of Me". He wrote it with his son Bowen in mind who was born a year ago with a heart defect and they weren't sure if Bowen was going to live. They had to make the decision to turst God and to love that little baby with every ounce of themselves even if in the end God was going to take him home. The song was so moving because it honestly made me question how I was treating a particular friendship and thinking about that particular friend. This person hurt me and basically had abandoned the friendship we once had and I was willing to just it go because I didn't want to be hurt again. But, I knew inside it wasn't what I really wanted and it hurt to think about it and so as I listened to the words of this song I began to think about the love of Christ toward me and the love I have for this particular friend and it became clear to me that I was gonna love this friend with everything in me even while they were choosing to walk away. I would pray for them, continue to reach out to them and just be there for them as Jesus is for me. Even if it hurt and meant no returns...I knew it was the work of the Spirit in my heart changing me as He so faithfully and gently does.
Can I just share with you that within seconds of the song ending and God working in my heart my phone rang and it was this friend asking what I was up to that night and if I wanted to hang out! All I could was laugh. God is so amazing. This person hadn't wanted to hang out in months. I told them I had just been thinking them and would love to. I don't know what God will do with this. But I can tell you, it's just the beginning, because when it comes to the people we love and care about most, we need to Go Big or Go Home! If you're gonna love somebody you need to love them with everything and with no expectations because that's what you're called to do.
