Effort part 3
I think I mentioned this thought yesterday, but it came from a picture I once saw of a couple who had been married for some like fifty years or something. And when they were asked what their secret was they said, "For us, when something broke, you didn't throw it away. You fixed it." And that's kind of what I'm trying to say with this Rant series: effort is so important. In a way its like time... once you spend it you can't get it back. But that's why--and this is my thought for today--its so important to understand WHERE this effort comes from. And, in a word, it comes from the heart. If you're going to love something (or someone) that means you're going to give it everything you have and everything you are. Which CAN make you feel empty, if you don't feel like you're getting anything back. Its like pouring yourself into a black hole. And that can be frustrating. That can make you want to give up. If it feels like you've given everything you've got... then you get to a place where you think you can't give anymore. So let me just go ahead and quote my main verse for today: "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other" (John 13:34 NLT). I love this verse. Its one of my favorites. Because it spells it all out for us. The New Man is not under the Old Covenant. He is in the New Covenant. And He has a new commandment. One that, you know, he can actually follow. Because Jesus told us WHAT to do, but He also told us HOW to do it. Love one another. As He has loved us. Receive it and release it. Its that simple. (And notice, I didn't say EASY, I said simple. Learning how to love, by learning how we are loved, is an never-ending eternal life-long journey.) Point being: We don't love in order to BE loved. We love because we ARE loved. We love Him (by loving each other) because He first loved us. It flows down from the Father of lights, through us, and out into the world. So when we're talking about putting effort into something... we don't give in order to get. We give because we already have. I always like to quote 1 Samuel 30:6 (another one of my favorites) that says, "...but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God." When you feel like you're empty... you need to look INSIDE instead of looking for something external, or outward. Like on the Wizard of Oz. What you're looking for is what you've had all along. You were just looking in the wrong spot. Looking for love in all the wrong places. Looking for outer strength instead of inner strength. Giving effort doesn't mean its gone. Even if it doesn't accomplish what YOU want it to do (guess what, you might not REALLY want what you think you want. You might just be caught up in the moment), I don't believe effort is ever really wasted. Its the thought that counts, right? Things don't always work out the way we think they should. But when you give someone effort, I think that's appreciated. Even if THAT specific person doesn't pick up what you're laying down... I think people can see what's what a lot of the time. If you're willing to put the effort into something... to love others as Jesus loves you, and not necessarily how THEY love you... I think that's real. And I think that's important.