Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Unconditional Love Part 2

In my last post I shared a little bit about my 2 year old son, Andrew, and his beloved kitty, Cookie. In the post titled, “Unconditional Love” I compared the love Andrew has for Cookie to the love Jesus has for us. If you missed that post you can read it here now before reading on.

All week I kept thinking not only about the unconditional love Jesus Christ has for us, but also about the love He calls us to share with others!

In John 15:12 Jesus said, “I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you.”

As I wrote in my previous post:

…Andrew doesn’t care. He loves her without condition. Never once has he mentioned her looks…her skinny body, crooked leg or deformed ears. Never once has he questioned her intelligence. Never once has he compared her to other cats. Never once has he asked where she came from. Nope, all he cares is that she’s here now. He loves her and so those things don’t matter.



Oh, the love of a child!





Love without condition, reservation or ulterior motive.

As adults we can be so petty sometimes. We tend to look at the outward shell of a person and instantly sum up their worth. We see a "fault" in a person and we can’t see past it. It’s easy to forget that each of us were made in the image of Christ. That each of us were made for a specific purpose and plan. That God loves everyone…not just the most desirable, lovable and eloquent. We question. We compare. We judge. All the while hoping no one will notice our own shortcomings!

Proverbs 17:9 says, “Disregarding another person’s faults preserves love; telling about them separates close friends.”

We are called to love others as Christ loves us. What a high calling indeed! How might our lives look differently if we chose to truly love others the way Jesus loves us? If we chose to disregard another person’s faults instead of exposing (or dwelling on) them? If we loved like a little child?

"Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate was is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." Romans 12:9 & 10

5 comments:

  1. Wow, Rachel...I LOVE the scripture you ended with. Is that the Message Bible? Powerful words! My heart is to love unconditionally, but I sometimes fail miserably. Thank you for this post pointing in the right direction.

    Your adorable little son Andrew and his little "Cookie" kitty are beyond precious. SO, SO cute!

    The comment you left on my blog and your perception of me made me laugh and it also made wonder. I sure hope I'm not putting myself out there like someone who has it all together, because I don't. I think our blogs can sometimes present an air-brushed image, but that's not my heart. Thankfully God, in His goodness, is helping me to be more real, more transparent and more vulnerable. I'm glad my latest post set the record straight for you. LOL *big smile*

    Blessings to you!

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  2. Good words Rachel - isn't it amazing how much our little ones can teach us?? Truly a gift!! Hope you're having a great day!!

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  3. Hi Rachel- I've enjoyed your posts for a while now, and I related first hand to your sideline "why life in beranville" in context to the life change you encountered moving here to the middle of "nowhere". =) I've embraced it now as well and consider myself and our family blessed to be here. Keep up the great writing! Have a good day! Katie (Anderson!)

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  4. Oh, that the Lord would fill me with His love for others.

    Thank you for your comment on my blog today. You encouraged me!

    Blessings,
    Joy

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  5. Now if I could only get employees to offer each other unconditional love! More often than one would think, some of the at-work squabbles I get to moderate are no different than those that children have -- and it goes back to lack of unconditional love. We sure like our conditions!

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