THE QUESTION we’ve been pondering concerns the children of light. Seeking to catch a glimpse of what they “look like,” we considered the fruit produced by a soul living in the light of God’s presence – goodness, righteousness and truth. Widening the angle of our lens we see today that love is another inescapable feature of the landscape in God’s presence. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”* So, “How does that look?”
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”**
LET ME TELL YOU a little secret – getting the picture didn’t come easily for me. If you’ve read my pages “About Bunky” and “From Grief to Glory” you know Michael, my husband, died as the result of a massive brain tumor a few years ago. The impact of that loss caused me to refocus.
BEFORE I LOST Michael my whole world revolved around the life we shared together – around the love we had for one another. Aside from faith in God, my marriage was my greatest priority and pleasure. I didn’t have a very happy home life as a child. The missing component was “unconditional love;” the kind of love lavished upon me by my husband. It seemed as though everything I needed in life was found in that relationship. The downside of such marital ecstasy was a subtle short-sightedness and self-centeredness when it came to other relationships.
BEFORE I LOST Michael my whole world revolved around the life we shared together – around the love we had for one another. Aside from faith in God, my marriage was my greatest priority and pleasure. I didn’t have a very happy home life as a child. The missing component was “unconditional love;” the kind of love lavished upon me by my husband. It seemed as though everything I needed in life was found in that relationship. The downside of such marital ecstasy was a subtle short-sightedness and self-centeredness when it came to other relationships.
WHEN MICHAEL DIED I was forced to come up for air, so to speak, and realize there was a whole world of other people out there. Unlike me, most were not enjoying the good life. Many had broken hearts because they had already lost loved ones. Some were suffering from broken relationships, others suffered with broken bodies – permanently disabled in accidents or weakened by disease; while some had lost their incomes, homes, or dignity. With my eyes focused on my own happiness, I failed to notice others who hurt. Now I see them everywhere and, because I’ve actually felt the pain of grief in my own heart, I care for them. I know what it feels like to have your “good life” taken away. God has given me a compassion for people I never felt when I was busy focusing on my own happiness.
CHRIST GAVE THIS COMMAND, "Love one another... By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."*** In other words it is our love, expressed in acts of compassion, which will show the world how the children of light look!
*1 John 4:16
**1 John 3:16-18
***John 13:34-35
***John 13:34-35
Good, good words, Bunky! The key to having joy in all circumstances is in looking to the needs of others. That's one of the clear messages our small group has gleaned from our study of Philippians. One of my favorite quotes from Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life is on page 1 and says, basically, "It's not about me."
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