John 15:12-13 “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that one lay down his life for his friends.”
“Mother, don’t hate me! Love, NS.”
This note greeted me at the kitchen door on Wednesday evening after work. “Hate you? Why would I ever hate my son?” I thought.
I entered the kitchen and looked into the dining room. Suddenly, I understood the reason for his note.
For four months our house had been complete bedlam. Our unplanned kitchen remodel caused by a burst pipe overwhelmed the whole downstairs. Layers of dirt and dust coated the furniture for weeks and all the kitchen items had taken up residence in the living room, the downstairs bedroom, and on the dining room table. All winter our living space was sparse and we survived by clearing paths and creating a small eating space on the table.
Finally I Could Breathe Again!
But Memorial Day weekend proved to be the end of most things messy. I worked like crazy cleaning and finding homes for all my important kitchen items in the new cabinets. After discarding much unneeded stuff, things were finally in order. Finally I could breathe deeply again – until I got the note!
This is my expression of every day love! Love you, Nate!
Monday night a tornado passed through our county. Our home survived the storm, but Nathan’s apartment sustained extensive damage. With very little notice he was forced to terminate his lease and move all his belongings out of the rental. He and his two roommates stayed up all night throwing possessions in boxes to empty the apartment as quickly as possible. Now the big things, like furniture, were tucked away in our barn, but everything else again littered the dining room table.
My mouth dropped and my eyes grew large as I surveyed the situation before me. “Not again!” I lamented. But then I thought of Nathan’s note. I certainly didn’t hate him. I loved him!
Jesus’ Command to Love Sacrificially
Jesus commanded his disciples in John 15 to love one another sacrificially. Maybe this was a small example of laying down one’s life for a friend. It isn’t often that one physically dies for another, but every day we encounter opportunities to give up the things we think we need to live – comfort, finances, rest, strength, belongings, and maybe even the dining room table.
Suddenly, a thought came to me. I grabbed my camera, took a picture of the clutter, and sent it to our family group message stating, “This is real love! Love you, Nate!”
I do love my son and I’m so glad he wasn’t hurt in the tornado! If need be I would give my life for him. But today I lay down my comfort and my organized home. Today, I give him the dining room table!!!
Love you, Nate!!
Love,
Mama
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Remedies for broken hearts
Halloween is just around the corner. This is the time of year when many dress up in costumes. Recently, Luke and Brianna hosted an autumn dress up party. Their little family masqueraded as the cutest beekeeper, flower, and honeybee I’ve ever seen. After the party they took the costumes off and returned to their normal selves. But sadly there are many people who spend their whole lives pretending to be something they are really not.
Have any of you ever said or thought these words? If you are honest I am sure that you, like me, have expressed these feelings at one time or another. Maybe a friend betrayed your trust . . . or a client did you wrong . . . or a family member pushed the wrong button one too many times. People are imperfect and regular contact affords plenty of opportunity for rubbing one another the wrong way. Hurt feelings and raw emotions sometimes get the better of us. But what if there were a different way of handling the situation?
There are only a few more days until Christmas. As the celebration creeps closer and closer some of us are still running around seeking to find the perfect gift for those we love. We scour the lists of ideas that have been given to us and make our choices about which present would best express our thoughts and make our loved ones happy. Hopefully we will choose that perfect something!
Recently, I have taken up a new hobby. It is not a hobby I necessarily wanted to adopt; nevertheless, it became necessary. Each autumn, when the temperature becomes colder, I notice evidence of tiny visitors throughout the house. I am not particularly fond of these pesky intruders, but old farmhouses regularly have their share of these pests. Unfortunately, this year there have been more visitors than usual – hence, my new hobby. I have become a trapper and I specialize in mice.
The mice found a way to enter our lives but their presence was unpleasant. As Christians we also should have a desire to find our way into other people’s lives. By doing so we can develop relationships that will allow us to share the gospel message with them. But we do not want to have a negative affect. Our access to others must always be through love.
We live in a prejudiced world. Though our country has worked hard to eliminate discrimination in its outward manifestations, no one can erase the sinful tendencies of the human heart. Watching our words carefully is not enough. There must be a heart change. God is not a respecter of persons and those who belong to Him should not be either.
Some songs have been sung for years and years. We can rattle out the words by heart and the melody just slips from our tongue. These songs are like an old pair of jeans that fit just right. They are go-to comfort! But sometimes the jeans get put at the bottom of the drawer and we forget about them until one day we find them and remember how good they feel.