Called to Love

Do you know what it feels like to be called by God to something? I do. Often it starts out as a feeling or an idea that grows and I pray about or God presses on my heart until it become obvious that this is what God is saying. Sometimes. Sometimes, it doesn’t take that much work or thought and its just right there ‘This is what I am calling you too’.  Like, I wanted to come to Africa for several years. But it wasn’t until now that things started to fall into place and I started to ask God what His plan was that I am here. Now, I feel that God called me here.

  I cannot remember a time that I didn’t feel like God has called me to love people. This isn’t an easy calling and its one that honestly I would rather drop. You’re thinking that this is pretty basic and that we’re all called to love. You’re right, the only problem is that loving people is hard. Most of us don’t want to experience the pain of loving people like Jesus did, like He’s called us to. I know I don’t. My family has a joke ‘don’t ask God to give you more love, He’ll send someone to love.’ 

  It is easy to love people that love you back or someone that you can get something from. What’s not easy is loving people who have nothing, who don’t love you back and especially people who hurt you.

  Lately, I have been overwhelmed by how much Jesus loves me. To think that God would become man, live among us and then let us become equal heirs with Him is hard for me to wrap my mind around. That Jesus can see all the ways I’ve messed up and still see my potential and believe in me…..well.

  Jesus said,

   ‘As the Father loves me, so I have loved you, abide in my love. If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love just as I have kept my Fathers commandments and abide in His love. ……..This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he lays down his life for his friend. You are my friends if you keep my commandments. ‘

John 15:9, 10, 12, 13

  Whoa, Jesus is setting a pretty high standard, love each other like I do. What’s strange is that He doesn’t make exceptions to the rule. Such as; only if they aren’t annoying, only if they deserve it, only if you agree with them, only if they’re sorry for every mean thing they’ve ever done. This is where the calling gets hard. But the amazing part is that God doesn’t expect me to be good at it. Or be able to love people at all. All love comes from God and all I really have to do is let him love through me.

  I don’t know about you but when I get a specific assignment from my earthly dad I don’t care how much I don’t want to do it, I secretly love it. ‘Guys, this is what Dad told me to do, so move outa the way succors, I am doing this.’ It’s only that much more when my heavenly dad gives me an assignment.

 Real specifically, I felt called to love our translator Nazepho.  Not a hard assignment for the most part. And I have found so much joy in this, like when I look at her and think, ‘God’s called me to love her’ then I feel like putting my whole heart into making sure she gets all the love that I am to give her. Nazepho’s daughter Moti is four years old. Moti loves me very much, I am her favorite out of our whole team! And so often her love for me and her wanting me to hold her has filled a spot in my heart shaped like my baby sister at home. One night I was feeling homesick when we went to Nazepho’s house and Moti ran out of their house past the other two, straight into my arms. There is a good chance that was my favorite moment on this trip so far. 

  Even when things come up and it’s not so easy and joyful to love her, God reminds me that love isn’t based on how I feel or how I get treated. It’s based on the fact that He’s told us to love. Like He loves us. We don’t get out of it. Whenever I think that I’ve gotten the hang of this lovin’ thing I read 1 Corinthians 13

    ‘Though I speak with tongues of men and of angels, but I have not love, I have become a sounding brass and clanging symbols.

 And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains and have not love, I am nothing.

 And though I bestow all my goods to the poor, and though I give my body to burned and have not love, I am nothing.

 Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy, love does not parade it’s self, is not puffed up, does not behave it’s self unseemly does not seek it’s own, is not provoked, thinks no evil. Does not rejoice in inequity but rejoices in the truth.

  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,

  Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Yeah, I am never going to measure up to that, especially the ‘never fails’ part. I am just glad that I have God to do the work in me, through me. I don’t have to live out this calling in my own strength.