Light Bulb
I love the movie Despicable Me, and even Despicable Me 2! I am charmed and entertained when I watch it, and periodically, I discover myself in the midst of all the shenanigans. This morning I had a “Dru moment.” No, I didn’t begin an evil plot, nor did I, sadly, discover minions to do my bidding. Periodically, in either movie, Dru has that ideal thought that puts things in place for him, and he says, “light bulb!” I had a light bulb moment this morning. Thoughts, concepts, ideas and truths merged for me as I spent time in God’s Word. I was reading 1 John 4 and God’s precious Holy Spirit flipped a switch for me!
“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God.Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him.”
1 John 4:7-9 (Good News Bible)
It seems pretty straight forward. As someone who has grown up in an evangelical Christian church this isn’t a new thought, nor one that we generally ponder and think “what does this really mean?” As a believer in Jesus Christ, I know that I am to love others. I know that God is love. I know that God demonstrated His love for me by sending his precious, only Son to die a horrific death so that the punishment for my sins is already completed, or paid. Sometimes though I wonder, “how am I REALLY supposed to love others? What does that look like?” I ponder the various ways of being nice and or helpful. It’s a great place to start, but does it demonstrate real love? I could donate my only son to others, but I don’t think he would be particularly pleased with that choice, and I don’t think placing my child in servitude to others is what God was talking about when He calls ME to love others. After all, I am the one to demonstrate this love, not pass the buck to someone else.
My light bulb moment came when I read verse 9. Here’s my light bulb: God showed his love by 1.) giving something of great value, and it cost Him to give; 2.) giving with the purpose to restore, revive, and renew life in the one to whom He is giving. For me to love others it should cost me something, and I should be giving with the purpose of restoring, reviving and/or renewing life in and for someone else. So now I’m back to my earlier questions: How am I really supposed to love others? What does that look like?
When I am truly loving others with the love that demonstrates who God is, my purpose needs to be restoration. Is what I am doing encouraging a person to restore his/her relationship with a God who loves him/her, or at least move in the direction toward full restoration? Am I reviving or renewing their self-image so that they can some day see they are made in God’s image? Am I restoring someone’s faith in generosity, kindness, compassion or any other characteristic of God? Am I renewing hope, leading toward the ultimate hope of eternal life? ….or am I just being nice?
Some may think it just looks like I am being nice, but when I am exhibiting real love it’s also going to cost me something. It may cost me time that I don’t feel like I have, but I choose to take the time to be nice to the person ringing up my purchases at Target or Wal-mart, or help my neighbor shovel his sidewalk, or deliver a meal to someone who needs a little assistance or encouragement. It may cost me some discomfort to engage in conversation with someone I have just met, and yet I’ve been given an opportunity to love on that person, to restore an attitude of joy perhaps, or revive hope after he or she has had a difficult day. It’s definitely going to cost me my own self-absorption. It could cost me time I had planned for something else, my desire to be right, my longing to be noticed (or un-noticed) or my belief that life should be easy and comfortable.
There is one more light bulb. It’s found at the end of verse 9, “life through him.” When I choose to enter any and every portion of my day, whatever the activity, as life through Christ — in Christ; because of Christ; for Christ; with Christ — I am motivated with a deep passion to live a life loving others. In “life through Christ” I am overwhelmed with the truth of how much I have gained due to Christ’s love for me and I choose to approach my day-to-day life with the purpose of exhibiting how much love has been offered me. Even as I type this, I admit my hesitancy because it isn’t simple; I feel unprepared and unable to love like God has commanded me. AND I know I have God’s Holy Spirit to prompt, prepare and enable me. I am learning to see with clearer vision for more light has been shed on my journey.
Light bulb!
