Obligatory V-Day Post!

Melancholy. I’ve actually seen this word on two separate occasions today, mentioned by two separate people about this very day, this very holiday. I don’t think it’s strictly a Valentine’s Day thing, although I’ll say the Valentine’s Day aisle at Wal-Mart isn’t fit for an insecure single person, but usually just another holiday thing and you know how holidays make some people feel. I’ll have to admit, for some crazy reason, I fell victim to the V-Day blues, but I knew it was just a crazy trick to make me think my God is not sufficient for me. It kinda sorta worked, but I’d like to think I can be smarter than the devil sometimes.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but I took a hiatus from all things good for me, I guess. But I’m back on my feet and since it’s Valentine’s, I guess I’ll talk about love. It’s actually very fitting considering all things in my life, but since most of you don’t know everything about me, you’ll just have to trust me on that one. And no, for once, I will not pull out good ol’ I Cor 13.

Last Sunday, I went to church and God slapped me upside the head with love, love, love. I needed it too. We read through Luke 6:27-36. To sum it up, Jesus says crazy things about love. I’m not being blasphemous when I say that, but really, it’s crazy stuff. Get slapped? Well, turn the other cheek so it’s easier for them to slap you again! Somebody need your jacket? Offer them the very shirt off your back too. Sounds like an invitation to be walked on, huh? But God calls us to give so much more, to love so much more. Even sinners do good to others. But to be holy, to be “set apart” from the world, we need to do more than good. And to truly love, we need to be selfless.

Using Luke 6, we broke “tough love” into four principles, increasing in order:
(31) Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
(27-29) Do good unto others even when they mistreat you.
(35) Do good unto others without looking to humans for your reward.
(35-36) Do unto others as God has done for you.

“Tough love” meaning it really is tough to truly love. It can be relatively easy to follow the golden rule. But to hold to it after someone’s done you wrong? Or when no one seems to notice you pouring yourself out? Or to do what God has done to us to others — among many, many things, self-sacrifice?

What Jesus was talking about in Luke 6 was what we should do for our enemies. How much more should we sacrifice for our family and friends! I’ve never been a big fan of giving up on friendships easily or understanding the fact that friends come and go, so I doubt I’ll forget what was said on Sunday, “Relationship burnout is due to self-interest and self-seeking.” Chew on that for a day or two.

I guess this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to focus less on the fact that I didn’t really have a valentine and having that feeling of “not being loved” and wanted to make sure that I know what love is, that I am very capable of loving, and that I have so much love to give and there are so many people out there to be loved. Love is tough, but I think once you get over yourself and the mindset of “What about me?” then love could be as easy as pie. Mmm, pie.

Insecurities, inconsistancies.

I finally went to a church last Sunday. It’s been too many months, for sure. Of course I was hesitant but I really got a chance to worship and learn at FUMC Carrollton. I also went to the evening contemporary service my friend Dane leads worship for. It was good to hear those “old” songs we’d sing at the Wesley. I call them “old” because they are actually relatively new worship songs from such artists as Shane Barnard, David Crowder, and the like.

I’ve also tried to take a little bit of each day to read more of Don Miller’s book, Searching for God Knows What. It’s not as easy of a read as Blue Like Jazz, but I feel that it reaches deeper than Blue did. I love how Don is taking the whole entire book to say over and over again –

Christianity is Relational.

It makes so much sense that we manage to put aside having a relationship with Christ to pay more attention to morality, becoming relevant to the new culture, and just trying to prove others that Christianity is “right.” Since I haven’t had to work much this week, it became a perfect time to look at my relationships, specifically with Jesus and with my close friends. I figure I should look at these first since I come into contact with them every day, yeah? Both relationships are far from perfect and realized that a lot of it has to do with my insecurities. Don’s lifeboat and circus analogies hit home - I am definitely guilty of competing for a higher rung, specifically on the friendship ladder. Why I feel it is so important that I am better than so-and-so friend, I have no idea.

In fact, there’s a lot of things I do that I can’t explain why I do. There’s a whole load of things people do in general and it’s tough to stop others and ask them, “Have you stopped to think why you’re doing this? Like, what’s the point of this?” Others tend to look at you like you’re crazy unless you happen to have enough time to explain that you’re reading this book that reminds you of how radical Jesus really was and how far, far away we are from heaven on earth.

I don’t know. Sometimes you get so fired up you want to say a hundred billion things but to every one you can and realize that’s not how it works. Gotta spread the Truth one by one. Relationship by relationship. It’s tough, but what else are we going to do on earth?