The Sacrifice of Love

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

-John Wooden (Basketball Coach)

I sometimes examine and question my own abilities and directions in this life. It is something as human beings we tend to do periodically, sometimes a little too often. Take my gifts, for example. I know I can play the bass guitar really well and solid. I know my intellect and wit is sometimes overbearing but really strong. I know I can grasp the "big picture" usually before anyone else can arrive at the same conclusion. But in all honesty, what are these gifts if I can't use them to pay back the One who ultimately used His gift of love for me?

It says in 1 John 4:13 that "we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His spirit." (NKJ) This verse, as well as the entire fourth chapter of 1 John, reminds me of the gift that Jesus sought to instill in others, and that was the gift of love. Imagine if you will being one of the few disciples that got the opportunity to sit with Jesus and learn from Him. Now just imagine that during the first meeting, instead of hearing Jesus say, "Love only those in this room as I have loved you," He says, "I want you all to love everyone in your path, both believers and non-believers alike, as I and my Father in heaven has loved you." That is definitely an "easier said than done" statement, to say the least, but it is a statement many people who "follow Him" fail to grasp or execute, myself included.

In all honesty, when was the last time you prayed for someone who has hurt you in the past? I'm talking about the one person, albeit a former relationship (boy/girlfriend, husband/wife, best friend, etc.), who really knew how to wound you beyond all physical measure. If you did pray for that person, did you pray that God would love them and continue to love them? What about yourself? Did you ask God to forgive them for what they have committed against you and to allow you to love them like God has loved them? That is definitely something a good majority of us fail to do. Most of us in that majority feel that because of what this person or group of people have done, they don't deserve or need the love of God in their lives. That, my friends, is really far from the truth as I know it.

I believe that these people need the real love of God even more in their lives. I also believe that it sometimes takes a person like yourself to reach out to these people, regardless what your past may have consisted of. No, I'm not saying go drive a thousand miles in the direction of this person and confront them, but I am saying that you can start by praying for them and giving this hurt, this wound directly to God to heal, comfort, and restore. Once you learn to forgive them yourself, you can then truly have a better understanding of this gift of love that Jesus set out to give everyone.

Too many people, Christian and none, live not of love but of disgust, judgement, loathing, envy, greed, resentment, and hatred, to name only a few human emotions. As you go on about your day, regardless of what you believe, try and focus on what your gifts truly are and how you can love people with them, even if these gifts seem mundane or small. Trust me when I say that God uses these gifts beyond what you can imagine if you are willing to sacrifice yourself for just a second.