Sometimes
we complicate life in ways that aren’t necessary. We add layers where no layers
are needed. We put in details when the original was perfect. And then we wonder
why we live under such stress.
Think
about the average American family with kids. The parent packs the kid’s
schedule with activities like soccer or basketball, gymnastics or ballet. Then
all their time together is spent in the car, in the drive-thru line, rushing to
the next event. Weekends are gone because of the competitions. We end up
secretly wishing the team would lose early in the finals so that the whole
thing would be over sooner rather than later. We use up all our energy sitting
on the sidelines of life that we have none left for life itself.
Some
fill their lives with goals and objectives and are driven to reach them no
matter the cost. They want the bigger house and flashier car. They must have
the boat and the vacation home. This phenomena was fueled following WWII with
the returning soldiers and the expanding suburbs. Our economy needed the rapid
consumption, the turnover of cash. And thus was perfected, the rat race.
Why
do we do this to ourselves? Who said we always have to have more? And we do
this with our faith as well. We add extra rituals and tasks that make our walk
with the LORD much more complicated than it needs to be.
John
makes a walk with the LORD pretty straight forward. Two things are important.
First, put Jesus in the forefront of your life. Trust Him with eternity and
with every aspect of life. He is the First and the Last. He needs to be the
totality of our lives. Our lives need to reflect His scope. He encompasses
everything in the universe, in time, and in eternity. We need to acknowledge
that realm in our lives. He is not something we add to our busy lives. He is
supposed to be our life! Everything else needs to take a back seat to Him.
And
when we do this it will be reflected in our community life in the Body. We will
fulfill the other half of John’s coin. We will love each other. Love will be
the natural outflow of putting Jesus in His proper place in our lives. We will
be transformed on the inside that will enable us to love on the outside, even
those who drive us nuts.
I
want to set one thing straight. Just because we love someone, we consistently
put their welfare above our own always wanting what is best for them in every
circumstances, does not mean we have to be best buds. We don’t have to be
kindred spirits. We don’t even need to want to hang around with them during our
off hours. Love does not mean inviting into our homes and into our bedrooms.
Love has boundaries.
This
is good news for those who have been abused by others. When they come to
Christ, we can love them, but still keep a safe distance. We can want what is
best for them even while protecting ourselves and others.
And
this loving is not optional. Just as we must place our trust in Jesus, so we
must love fellow Jesus-followers.