Replacing Love

1 John 4, from verse 7 onward, can be hard to read sometimes. In the same way that staring at a pattern can render what was ordered into something nonsensical, so does the word love - which appears 32 times in this section - start to lose its impact. In fact - oh, this blew my mind! - in 4:5, just before all the 'loves,' John is talking about the Spirit of God vs. the spirits of the world, who speak from the world's viewpoint, in the world's language. He tells us, basically, not to listen to those spirits, but to become fluent in the language of God so as not to fall for the language of the world, which is our native tongue.

He follows that directly with a passage just riddled with the word love. And if we're not careful (as I was not, at first) we wind up reading in the language we know best - the world's. In world-language, love is just a word people use to get out of trouble, or to denote a bit more affection than usual - to mean "more than 'like.'" It means flowers and chocolates and teddy bears and other trinkets and gifts. It is so overused in world-language that it has nearly lost all meaning.

In God-language though?
God-love has an entirely different definition than world-love. In God-love, John says:

"Dear friends, let us lift up one another for the rising comes from God. Everyone who boldly encourages has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not have eternal patience  does not know God, because God is forgiveness. This is how God showed his sacrifice among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is honor: not that we have cared for God above all else, but he cared for us above all else and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Dear friends, since God so considered us, so we also ought to consider one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we concern ourselves with one another, God live in us and his sacrifice is made complete in us. This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the father has sent his son to be the savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the unfailing good will God has for us.

God is putting others first. Whoever lives in sacrificial giving lives in God and God in them. This is how genuine, pure, holy affection is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In the world, we are like Jesus. There is no fear in truth. For perfect grace drives out fear, because fear has do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in confident truth. We are whole because he first was whole for us.

Whoever claims to lift up God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not praise their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot praise God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: anyone who accepts God must also accept their brother and sister."

This is the love of God-language. It means selflessness, and grace; forgiveness, and honestly? Work. It can't be taken lightly. The weight of it is too much. Surely, it is much, much more than the candy-and-flowers, I-like-you-as-long-as_______, qualifying love that world-language makes it into.

Sometimes, we have to find the words in world-language that add up to the much simpler, much stronger word in God-language.

Spring.

It has been raining for a month. All of our rivers have frothed beyond their banks. Today, there was sun. Beautiful, glorious sun. We're finally tasting Spring. These are only weeds from my soaked and saturated yard. This lovely Spring sunshine won't last the week. But for now, on this island of sunshine in an otherwise long and dreary (and very wet) winter, it is enough.

Follow

Contentment.

I feel like I'm being bashed over the head with this concept lately. At the beginning of the year, I expressed my desire to live in the here and now – essentially, to be content. Last week, I came to some pretty harsh/beautiful conclusions regarding my compulsion to plan for the worst, the faithlessness that displayed, how hope is the remedy, and contentedness is the evidence. This week, my pastor has discussed contentment in church and both a friend of mine, and a total stranger whose blog/life I follow (because yes, I am a Creeper - capital “C”) have written about contentment. It makes me wonder if this is to be my lesson for this year.

Huzzah!

I HAVE CREATED YOGHURT. 

So far, I do not have botulism.

But let me tell you, if this sweet, creamy deliciousness is hiding death between its silky folds, then it can have me. I'll come willingly. Just let me have some more, please.

Fair warning

I've been on the Internet again. It almost has me convinced I might be capable of making yoghurt at home without dying from botulism. Now would be a fabulous time for someone with sense to talk some into me...

Repent

“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil … I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you; that you have abandoned the love you had at first … repent.” Revelation 2:2-5

He sees my struggle. He sees my work for Him, the commands I work to follow, the obedience I work to carry out. He sees that I am a good girl. But He holds against me that maybe I am a good girl for the wrong reasons. When I first knew Him, I did these things out of love for Him, in awe and in passion to follow Him. Now, I do things out of duty; because I am supposed to; because it makes people think well of me; to fit into a community that is doing the same things – for whatever reasons.

“Repent,” He says.

“Remember from where you have fallen.”

“Turn back to me,” He pleads.

Remember the beginning and why you did what you did; turn back to those motives, for they are good.

New Orleans

Beignet dust. Mmmm...

This city is just fabulous. I wish we had more excuse to make such a long drive if they always ended with thrilling nightlife, raucous celebrations, and sweet, delicious, hot beignets from one of the most famous pastry shop that side of the Mason-Dixon. So worth it. Also, Hubs' pants look like a galaxy. Just sayin.