Love God Love People

 

The truth is, I've been floundered with the loving of people. I get it really wrong. I don't know how. I don't half the time understand why things irritate and hurt me when conversing and bumping shoulders with others. I'm pretty sure it has more to do with my issues than any cause of theirs.

At the beginning of January a theme began to follow me around at every turn. A message at church, my Bible app of the day verse, and of course, the ongoing trial of getting along with people. That makes me sound especially cantankerous and easily offended...which I didn't think I was...I'm still asking God about that.

The theme was loving the Lord God with all my heart, soul, and might...and then everyone else. Our pastor said something to the effect that we can't love others properly until we get this loving God thing in order. 

While I feel I am gracious and long suffering to others, for the most part, I also can't very well tolerate stupidity and nonsense. So when something someone does, seems dumb and dumber to me, my graciousness and long suffering flies out the window. 

However, I am learning ever so slowly, that loving God requires all of my being to be on board with His grace and use of redemptive love in all situations. Even when I deem an action of a person downright stupid and ignorant. I know we are told not to judge others. And I know that to look at one of my fellow sheep with grace and understanding, to pray for them instead, is truly what loving God means.

But real life happens and all this knowledge is challenged. I think this is God's way of sifting us, to get rid of the chaff. It's His way of reminding us He is the Potter, we are but clay.

My son is in a difficult situation at work with a cranky boss who  demands protocol of his employees that he himself won't follow through. I overheard Laife and Bruce discussing the matter. Eventually, Bruce reminded Laife of the fact that the way people act sometimes has nothing to do with you but the stuff they are dealing with in their own lives...you know...hurt people hurt people. And Laife then disclosed something his boss had gone through in his lifetime... confirming this fact. Only loving God and following His direction will help my son through this one because you can't muster up love for that by your own strength.

I get into stupid arguments in my head over things that don't matter at all. Like in a whats app message[thank our world today for instant comebacks in messaging] someone will make an assumption and give a comment based on what they think they saw on a photo. I can go over and over whether or not I need to set the record straight or if it would be wasting my breath to explain it. After all, it's already a stupid shallow frivolous things. Loving God brings me back to reality. You can't fix or change the bend of a man's thinking or heart in frivolous matters. Let it go, Sistah.

Loving God precedes how I feel or think about anything. Last night my girls and I went shopping. Outside Walmart, a guy was standing asking for donations to buy a sleeping bag. I'd like to say I promptly pulled out a twenty dollar bill. But I can't. Because I didn't. As we walked into the store in desperate need of the bathroom, we discussed how we should handle stuff like that. In that gross bathroom stall I told the Lord I would be glad to buy the sleeping bag but felt unsure about the cash handover. I still don't know what My Maker thinks of that...

Anyway, before we continued our shopping we popped back outside and I asked the guy if he would be ok with me buying him the sleeping bag instead? I was honest with him that I wasn't feeling good about handing over the cash but I could see he was cold and wanted to help. He accepted the offer. We bought the only sleeping bag Walmart had. When we went back out to give it to him, he was gone. After searching the parking lot to no avail, we left the brand, new red sleeping bag with another homeless person, a lady and her dog. She had a sign stating that "Anything helps". She was appreciative. It was 17*. 

I don't know if we ever get to the place of knowing if we are truly loving God with all our being, because I think it keeps drawing us. God's love drives us and makes it possible to proceed. I reckon if we are loving God, all the insecurities of loving other people properly maybe becomes less the objective. God will show the way as needed.

How does God's love teach you to love others?