Learning Love

I've been thinking lately about love. I've seen some people really good at it. They love people well. They think about others first. I want that trait to mark my life. Below is a poem that came out of some of those thoughts. 

Teach Me How to Love

Scornful eye cast

     on one less along

Perception of being

     farther along

Hidden rejection of

     someone I should love

Crying, “I want to know You.”

     But You are Love,

The command You give,

     “One another, love.”

Not searching for

     poetry, praise, A’s

“Feed Me, Clothe Me, Visit Me.”

     This to the least of these.

Greatest of all

      used towel and bowl

On knees, washing feet.

     Love with heart, mind, body, soul.

Though I’ve everything

     lacking this I’m nothing

You look at heart

     not at shell

Give not merely words

     but life as well

This, this will outlast all.

     While else falls to dust.

God, my God,

     we can because You have.

God, my God,

     teach me how to love.

I was reading in Ephesians 3:14-19, verses I'd read dozens of times before, and was struck by them, especially by verse 19, Paul's prayer for the church in Ephesus, "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." 

That's it. 

I long for a full life, a rich life, an abundant life. One with no regrets. One that is significant. One that is not wasted. I want to experience for all my days the fullness of God. And this is the fullness of God...knowing the love of Christ. 

Searching for the word "know" in a Bible concordance, I found that it means to learn to know, to perceive, to feel. It even can denote intimacy between a husband and wife. This knowing of Christ's love is more than intellectual knowledge. It is a real knowing, an encountering.  

If I ever hope to love others, I need to know His love first (1 John 4:19). I have been praying Ephesians 3:18-19 for myself and others; "Lord, let me know Your love that I may be filled with the fullness of God." 

Verse 20 gives me hope. He "is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think." He is able to do it. Amen. 

Change

I love autumn. I love cupping my hands around a warm mug of hot apple cider. The brisk air breathes freshness into my lungs. The colors on the trees light up my eyes. Fall practice reminds me of my love of baseball. Crackling fires and family time make me smile. This is a sweet season.

Yet, this autumn, Fall 2011, has also been a time of transition for my family. The transition is very good, but, like all change, is not easy. There are moments when I do not want the world to change. I want to fire the moment and live in it. But, things do change. Life does move on. Like most unknown things, the future sometimes appears frightening. I think of what a good, rich childhood I had and wonder, "Can it get any better? Or are my best days already gone?" I was having this conversation with my sister, each of us dialoging how change is hard for us. But then, I mentioned to her a thought that I have been having: "God has been the author of our story this far and it's been good. He's still the One writing our story, so we know it's going to be good!" And the most important thing is that...It's Him being our Author...and our Anchor. How sweet it is that He does not change. And with new seasons of life comes new opportunities to love our Lord more and grow in Him.

I have been reading in Exodus, and a verse caught my attention. The Israelites, upon leaving Egypt, faced a huge transition. Even though it was an exciting time for them, it was probably also somewhat shocking to go, overnight, from slavery to freedom. Moses reports about the night of the Israelite's departure from Egypt--and from all they had ever known, that "the LORD kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt" (Exodus 12: 42). I love that image...of Almighty God keeping watch over His kids in a time of big change for them. It gives the feeling of a protective father. God does not change. It's comforting to know that our Father, today, is protective of us. And in seasons of transition...I imagine He keeps vigil over us too.

So I can enjoy that cup of hot cider...knowing that my Father has me in His gaze. And I can anticipate the days ahead...knowing that He's writing my story...and the Ending will be Good.

Roots

Being within three weeks of finishing with my first year of college, there are a few things that have crossed my mind. One of these things is how thankful I am to have had a solid foundation laid during my elementary and high school years in what I believe. My parents are largely to credit for this. In the majority of my classes, I have been the audience to lectures containing values with which I disagree. I've realized how different my worldview is from so many around me! I might be tempted to think that something is wrong with my views, and that the majority, or the educated faculty must always be correct. But while I have certainly been challenged to think, I haven't wanted in the least to alter my beliefs...because I know who I've learned them from. There are things other than a PhD that create credibility (a word that has been pounded into me since entering college!). I don't mean to discredit my professors; I have learned a lot from them and am so blessed to be attending a college! Yet, if I can state this with all humility, there will always be people I trust more than them. My parents. My pastors. Those who are parents in the faith. And even those who are no longer living, but who have left works behind them that attest to the kind of lives they lived. I know the fruit of these people's lives. I see the stark contrast of those who have the Lord...and those who do not. And I know what I want for my life. But I don't think it's enough to stop there. Roots are so important. A strong foundation is invaluable. But they are for the purpose of bearing fruit. I pray that God will help me bring others into His kingdom...