Monday, January 7, 2008

Extravagantly

Well, I have been waiting for a few days to hear something from God and now that I've gotten past my food focus, He is speaking loud and clear. Isn't it so inconvenient when God slams you with things that call you to action? I came across this passage today and it couldn’t have come at a better time...I have officially been shut down for the day. lol I put up The Message version because it puts it so plainly:

Ephesians 5

Wake Up from Your Sleep

1-2Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

I have always been someone who loves cautiously. I mean, what better way to avoid getting hurt or disappointed? At this very moment, I am struggling with it because I have deliberately put up walls between myself and others and had no immediate plans of removing them. The thing is, in most cases, I have good reason to.These walls could be justified according to a human way of thinking. In God’s way of looking at things, what other people have done or could potentially do to me, should not affect the way I love them or anybody else. His love was never cautious, but always freely given to everyone, equally and extravagantly.

To make matters worse, I had to go and look up "extravagantly" in the dictionary:

1. spending much more than is necessary or wise; wasteful: an extravagant shopper.
2. excessively high: extravagant expenses; extravagant prices.
3. exceeding the bounds of reason, as actions, demands, opinions, or passions.
4. going beyond what is deserved or justifiable: extravagant praise.
5. Obsolete. wandering beyond bounds.

Wow! Even these definitions parallel God's way. You mean I should love whether or not it makes sense, is deserved or justifiable? I have to go above and beyond to love people whether they do the same or not?? Umm...God can we do something else please? What a challenge for me! It will take me the balance of this fast and beyond to love like this, but I put this post up today to publicly say that I am committing to putting this into practice. **gulp**

1 comment:

Mike said...

I'm with you 100% on this! I've been very reluctant opening up recently. Initially, the thought of loving people and not basing it on what they deserve leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The challenge is extending myself knowing that it most likely won't be reciprocated. I feel stupid doing it and I hate it. It's much easier to not even deal.

Still, I need God to "deal" with me. I count on it. I'd be in a terrible position if He didn't. That's how His love works. It's a scary thing. The catch-22 is realizing how He loves me and how that mirrors how I'm not loving others the same.