By Chuck (Sharing Compassion)
We have been speaking about love over the past few posts. The study at my church has concluded and one thing I wish to leave you all with is that love is a verb. Love requires action. Love is never stagnant. If we say we love but our actions do not support it then we cannot truly be loving. God so loved us that he gave his son for us. Jesus so loved us that his entire ministry was an example of love in action. From birth to the cross everything he did was out of love. Often we say we love but do our actions support that?
Mercy Me, one of my favorite Christian artists, has a new album out. It is simply entitled "The Generous Mr. Lovewell." Many of the songs deal with love in one form or another. The title song is about a man named Mr. Lovewell. I would like to take a look at some of the lyrics with you and show you how they apply to what we have been talking about.
He wakes up every day the same
Believin' he's gonna make a change
Never wonders "if" but "when"
I guarantee he can find a way
To reach out and make somebody's day
'Cause someone took the time with him
Two things stand out for me here. The first is that every day he believes he is going to make a change. Do we approach each day with the attitude that we can make a change? Our actions can have great impact. If we were to approach each day with our arms open wide and attitudes filled with love imagine what we can do. The second thing that stands out is the key word "when." How often do we try to classify our actions by the word "if." If we are treated a certain way or get what we want then we will act lovingly. What if we placed no clarifier there but just looked for any opportunity to show love.
It may be a simple "how do you do"
The kind of thing that could pull them through
A minute or two can mean so much
Or maybe it's the one across the street
He's asking if there's anything they need
'Cause they will know what's by our love
The key to this entire verse and perhaps the song is that it is really not about grand gestures but rather those simple little things we can do to make a difference. A simple gesture, a touch, a kind word, a moment to listen~these are the little things that can show we are different and that we care. Seriously what if we reached out expecting nothing in return but rather just treated others as we want to be treated? Can you imagine how the world might change. We were created in God's image. We were created to love and be loved. Sin placed a barrier there and we became self-indulgent and more worried about ourselves. As we approach this holiday season when we celebrate the greatest gift of love then I encourage you to look inside yourselves. Be a 'Mr. Lovewell!
He believes it's the little things
That make a great big change
Start small, habits take six weeks to form, and look for one small act that you can do each day to be a "Lovewell." I am trying it....lets try it together. I guarantee that we will start changing inside and we will start changing others.
Chuck is a Christian husband and father who has served in part-time ministry for 17 years, and is a deacon at his church. He has been a Compassion International Advocate/Area Coordinator for several years, finding families to sponsor Compassion children throughout the world. His passion is letting others know how important it is to release children from poverty. Be sure to check out his blog, Sharing Compassion.