The sticking point

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head, doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always “me first,” doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. (I Corinthians 13:3-7)

Love is tough business - even under the "best" of circumstances. In fact, I think it is one of the toughest things for us to receive and even harder for us to give away - that is, when we do it well! Many times, we "love", but it is definitely not "well". We have all those strings attached, kind of doing our own thing, but never really investing in each other as we should. In the roughest spots, it is put to the test, and we sometimes don't come out smelling so pretty, do we? In order to love as God tells us to love, we might have to change the way we have been doing this 'love one another' thing to align with what he reminds us love actually is and is not. Does it surprise you the list begins with "never giving up"? This is where it begins - with commitment. In fact, anything worth having and keeping in life is based on the commitment we make to it. So, what better place to begin than with our commitment? The other stuff that comes after this is really the evidence of our commitment! Love doesn't hide behind some false facade. It is real, genuine to the core. If we want to understand what love is, we have to get real with ourselves, others, and especially God.

Ever use guilt as a "tactic" to get someone to do something? We have all probably done it at one time or another. Whenever we "use" guilt as a means of "getting what we want", we are really saying to the other person, "I matter more than you do", or maybe we are saying, "I want to control everything". Either way, WE are at the center of the universe! Guess what? God is the only one who deserves that honor! Commitment begins by being real, getting heart/mind/body in right order, and coming under the authority of Christ in our lives. When that occurs - there is no room for us to be in control or to manipulate anyone (even God) to get our own way. We have all heard it said, "Love is patient". Now, try acting that out in real life! It isn't always easy to be patient when another is being over-demanding, acting ridiculous, or just plain mean, is it? Nope, in fact if we were truthful on this one, we want to beat them silly at times! Guess what? Patience is our problem - not theirs! We get "impatient" whenever we expect another to perform the way we imagine they will. God brings the other person to the place they should be - not me! It has been a tough thing to learn, but once I finally got this straight in my mind, I actually stopped being so impatient with others.

When we are in competition with another, we seldom operate in the realm of kindness! Thinking back to the last time you were operating in anything less than true kindness, what would you say was at the root of your "unkindness"? In most cases, it was because we didn't "win". All of life is sort of based on some sort of "win" or "lose" competition, isn't it? I giggle at drivers who edge up to my bumper, narrowly squeezing between my car and the one beside me, then zoom to cut in front of me, only to find themselves sitting directly in front of me at the stoplight! All they have to show for their "competition" is being first to stop! Fear and the losing of control leads to a whole lot of competition. Whenever we want to win so badly, we usually move into a position of not caring about another's well-being. 

If we get our commitment right - recognizing God is in control of the other person - and then begin to focus on the other person as we should, we find ourselves being a whole lot less "self-attentive". All of these characteristics are really the result of being overly "self-attentive" or "self-focused". Add not being easily angered and you have a full "package deal" of getting your eyes off self and onto another. Anger gets its start in some "right" of ours being "violated". If we lay down our "rights" at the feet of Jesus, we find we demand a whole lot less of others and rely upon what it is he will bring into the relationship. Love doesn't quit and it operates in maturity. Is not quitting the same as commitment? Not really. Commitment is the starting point - the "sticking" point is when we determine to not be swayed by our emotions, learning to rely upon the maturity Christ gives us through time in his Word and at his feet. Issues will come up anytime there is a relationship between two people - learning to stop focusing on the issues and keeping our focus on Christ is really evidence of the determination to never quit! Just sayin!