My friend, may I ask you a question? When it comes to love, the love that we share with our spouse, our children and, perhaps, our immediate family, do we often find ourselves in a situation where our love is so perfunctory or so bland that it does not merit thought? My friend, life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day. I’m M. Clifford Brunner.
Some things we do we just do without thinking. The list is so long that it would be doubtful that it is at all quantifiable. We see our spouse after a long hard day at work and we are drawn to their side and we plant a kiss. The light turns red on a city street and without so much as a thought, our right hand reaches for the shift and the left foot goes searching for the clutch. We witness the triumph of our favorite sports team and we are raised to our feet with hands clapping. It’s really not something that we need think about much. Reaction to a situation so familiar and compelling becomes a behavior that is a matter of course, not thought. When it comes to love, the love that we share with our spouse, our children and, perhaps, our immediate family, we often find ourselves in a similar situation. Not that our love is so perfunctory or so bland that it does not merit thought. Rather, it is the kind of love that always seems at the ready, by our side and anxious to respond to passion, crisis, sympathy or threat. Of course, this is the family we are talking about. God has blessed each of us with the ability to thoroughly and sacrificially love those into whose hearts he has placed ours. It’s a kind of love that is, as Martin Luther wrote, “an ardent and untiring love which flows from the heart.” The Bible calls this agape love; a love that sacrifices. Here’s a story. The little daughter of the Princess was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little daughter and endanger her life by breathing the child's breath. Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death. Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, “Momma, kiss me!” Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter. She got diphtheria and some days thereafter she went to be forever with the Lord. Real love forgets self. Real love knows no danger. Real love doesn’t count the cost. The Bible says, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.” (Source Unknown.) God calls us to love others with a similar love; to “be devoted to one another.” Devotion does not mean when we feel like it or when it is convenient for us. Devotion means to love in a completeness that tends to become a kind of love that is done without much thought. Simply, we do it because we are compelled by the love of Christ that dwells in us. Indeed this must be a love that flows from our hearts and that “many waters cannot quench.” Simply, to love others as we love ourselves. Even more, to forget self altogether for that sake of our neighbor. When held up to the light of this kind of love, I guess each of us has a whole lot of room for improvement. We pray. Heavenly Father, we know that love is how we are supposed to treat one another, even those who are only our neighbor. Our love for Christian brother and sisters in Christ should be even more evident and full of devotion. However, Lord, we often find ourselves empty of the ability to love enough and often. It seems that all too often our supply of loving spirit is low and we are not able to share our love the way we ought to. Forgive us Father when we love weakly or not at all. Build us up daily by Your Spirit with the love of Christ that we may always be ready to share our love in abundance and with mercy and grace. Thank You Father. In Jesus name we pray. Amen! Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else. If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to "This Passing Day!" <thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.