Post 14: loving is learning pt 2
A few months ago I started following a lot of religious accounts on Instagram because many times what we consume is what we become (not to be mistaken … if you eat a taco, you won’t become a taco. Clarifying for those wondering). I recently shared a post to my story that stated “let all that you do today be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14) and WOW was that harder than I would’ve ever expected it to be.
Doing everything with love is hard. I’ll be the first to admit that I get annoyed rather easily and I’ve prayed a LOT for God’s grace. I can certainly see the seeds God has been planting in my life and in my mind, but I can still see the places I need to grow in … there’s quite a few.
When you’re reading about love, it seems so easy. This is why we’re able to dish out advice without being able to take it ourselves. A few years ago I read “Love Does” by Bob Goff and fell in love with it (ha get it?) Goff made loving everybody look so simple. You just do it. Though that’s not how I’ve experienced it. Loving each and every person that enters your path means actively listening and understanding where they are coming from. It means truly thinking before speaking. It doesn’t mean speak behind their backs. I’ve caught myself having to take a deep breath before responding to someone whether that be in person, over the phone or via email. It takes patience and having that in this fast paced world is difficult.
I could name a list of people whose books I’ve read or podcast I’ve listened to who talk about loving one another, but am I wrong for finding this difficult? Is it supposed to be this hard? I was thinking maybe this is the transition from our world into the heavenly world. In heaven, there is no annoyance or impatience, there is just love … but this world? It feels like love is so hard to come by.
You can't show grace to someone to their face (or through their screen) and then have something negative to say about them moments later. That’s not real grace. That’s putting on a show. Turns out, the show is easier to distract yourself with than the real problem, but it’s never too late to look in the mirror. God’s right there next to you, just hold out your hand.