The Love Dare

Recently, Matt and I started to work our way through a couple's devotional book, The Love Dare Devotional. As newlyweds, we want to do as much as we can to guard our marriage and to learn how to truly love each other in the roles that Christ has set forth for each of us, making sure that we keep Him at the center at all times. It's been good so far, each day providing a few short paragraphs to challenge and teach us about true love. It supplys references for us to dig deeper into scripture to see what the Lord teaches us about this subject. It challenges us with a "Dare" for the week, to help us not only remember what we've been reading, but to begin to put it into practice so that we can grow. This week, the dare has been to "start praying that you would learn what true love is and how to be a loving person." It's nothing out of the ordinary and most of us would probably respond with something like, "Oh, that's easy. I know what true love is. I'm a loving person. I'm kind. I'm caring. I'm a good person. I serve others and help people when they need it." Which can certainly be characteristic of a loving person, but when you start to think about it and begin to pray through that with sincerity of heart, you realize that there is much more to "true love and being a loving person" than you thought.

Had someone asked me if I thought I was a loving person, I certainly would have said yes. Afterall, I enjoy loving my husband and showing him through acts of kindness from day to day. I enjoy being with my family and spending time with them because I love them. I look forward to hanging out with middle school students on Sundays because I care about how they live their lives and that they are on the right track to follow Jesus.

But something changed over the course of the week.

Each day I asked, "Lord will you teach me to be a loving person? Will you teach me what true love is?" And my God is a faithful God, a good God; One who hears my prayers and responds in the most unlikely way.

You see, it's only because of the tragic disaster in Haiti that I've realized how the Lord has answered that prayer this week. I realized it tonight in the midst of being bombarded with photos and footage of the devastation that has hit the poverty-stricken country. The photos of children who are clearly malnourished, orphaned and frightened. The story about a grandmother who couldn't make it out from under the rubble and her little granddaughter whose life was also taken at the same time. The baby doll that was found in the place where they lay. As I was standing at the sink, washing the dishes from dinner, the Holy Spirit revealed to me in a powerful way, a new understanding of what true love is. I began to think about the past couple of days and how I've felt every time that I've seen the news and heard more stories, some happy and some sad. And then I thought how I've had this feeling that I haven't been able to shake. A feeling of not knowing what to do, but wanting so desperately to do something, anything. Those people are crying out for help...what can I do? Can I go? They need money. Is that all I can do is give money? It just doesn't seem like enough. And as I thought some more, I realized that never before have I really been emotionally and spiritually affected by something like this. No other natural disaster has captured my attention so abruptly. I haven't felt so compelled to pray for another country and it's people as I do now. I've never been moved to tears after seeing how distraught and helpless the people of Haiti are, feeling an ache in my heart for the children especially. What would I give to go there and bring a child home, saving them from a scary, unknown future of despair? And then I thought back to the prayers I said throughout the week. Thanking God for my safety in traveling to and from work, for the job that I have, for the food on our table and the roof over our head. For my family and friends who love me and whom I love. For all of the blessings that we've enjoyed in our lives. Don't misunderstand me here...there is absolutely nothing wrong with those prayers. In fact, it's very important and appropriate to acknowledge that the Lord is the Provider of all things and then to tell Him "thank you" showing Him that we understand that all we have comes from Him. But I felt a conviction of selfishness at the same time. Here I am, sitting in my cozy apartment, with heat that works, clean water that runs, more food than I need, plenty of clean clothes to wear, a shower down the hall...and that's just the beginning of the list. And I'm speaking to the Lord about myself?

It was at that point where I began to realize what true love is. How could I be so selfish? True love is not about the self at all. In fact, it's more about denying one's self for the good of others. My prayers began to change to ones of desperation on behalf of the Haitian people. For them to receive the help they need. For the missing to be found. For the hungry to receive food and the thirsty to receive water. For God to be glorified in the midst of this catastrophe. That people would see Jesus and come to know Him and put their trust in Him, realizing that He alone is enough.

True love is compassion. Compassion for people you never meet. Compassion that is so deep, that it moves you to tears. It's feeling desperate for someone else because of the situation they are facing. Feeling for them and with them even though you have no certain connection. True love is feeling compelled to help in any way that you can. It's feeling like you can't do enough. It's feeling like what you can offer won't be enough. It's wanting good to come to someone else. To see a life changed. It's wanting to hug someone that is hurting deeply even though they are a stranger. It's understanding how Jesus might have felt when He walked this earth and what He has commanded us to do until He soon returns. To love one another, to follow the example that He has set, to take care of orphans and widows, to love all people over all the earth. True love is being committed to one another. Hurting when others hurt, rejoicing when others rejoice. Seeing people through the valleys of hardships and the mountains of victories. True love is being like Christ to everyone around you.

True love changes people and can change the world...it's changed my heart this week. It's helped me to see how to be a loving person and how to be Christ-like as I live on this earth. And the good news? When you know true love and live by true love, your life will be an abundant overflow of blessings to other people. It will mirror the image of who Christ is and bring greater understanding to how He came to serve on this earth. Will you ask God to show you how to be a loving person? You should. It could change your life and the life of someone else.

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