I
like people who communicate with clarity. I want to be a person who says what I
mean and means what I say. I want my words to match my actions. And I want
constancy over time. I don’t want to say and do one thing now, and then change
and say and do something totally different later.
Loving
each other in the Body of Christ is so important, so vital, so central to the
Gospel message that John doesn’t hold back. He makes a very clear statement
about this absolute necessity of love. He tells us that if we aren’t loving
each other, then we aren’t loving God. It is impossible to love God without
loving each other.
It
is easy to say we love God. Only God can challenge that statement. So John
tells us the proof of our love of God is our love for each other. There are no
substitutes, no secret short cuts. We must love each other.
So
why does it seem so hard to do? Why is loving each other so difficult? Why does
taking the risk carry such a high price? Two things jump out as an answer.
First, past pains have taught us that reaching out and trusting others can be
painful. And the second is we often don’t have an example of love in action
from which to learn. Both can place a roadblock in our path. Both can make
taking the risk seem too much to ask.
But
John doesn’t give us the option. He tells us that if we can’t love someone we
have seen, we certainly can’t love someone we haven’t seen. I would think it is
the other way around. It is easy to love someone I have never met. They haven’t
pushed any of my buttons. They haven’t spoken a word with the wrong voice tone.
They haven’t cut me off in the middle of a conversation. They haven’t given me “the
look” that says that I don’t matter.
It
is really safe to say that I love someone on the far side of the globe. How can
anyone prove me wrong? What does it cost me? Words are cheap. But the person I
sit next to in the church can easily call my bluff. They can see if I am lying
or not. If I say I love them, but do nothing about it, then they can easily
point to my lack of action to prove their point.
Love
always comes with a price tag. To really love each other we must do what Jesus
did. He didn’t think about himself. He served us. Are we willing to do the
same? Are we willing to put action to our words?