The Cost part 1
There's no such thing as a free lunch, right? That's conventional wisdom. If someone buys you a meal, chances are they're looking at it like an investment. They're doing something FOR you... because they want something FROM you. Kindness for kindness's sake is pretty rare. Because we seem to think--even in the church world--that if we give what we've got we'll end up with nothing left. Well, let's back up. We think we don't have anything so we spend (waste) our time, talent, and treasure trying to get something. And in that way we rob ourselves from what we DO have. But then, if we actually get to the place where we think we have something, we're so worried about losing it that we don't even use it. We hide our light under a bushel, if I can say it that way. We hoard it up, thinking that the only way to keep it is to keep it to ourselves. When, in truth, if you don't use it you WILL lose it. We can only experience the gift of God (that we've already been given) by sharing it. By giving it away. Because the gift of God is love. And love is giving. In order to truly love you MUST give everything you are and everything you have. No greater love can a man have than to lay his life down for his friends. Ok. Look at these two passages of Scripture: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it" (Matthew 13:46). And, "Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting" (Luke 18:28-30). When you see something so great--like a pearl, if you can hear this... a pearl of wisdom... a nugget of truth... the truth that God is love and He loves you--it is priceless. Worth anything. Worth everything. And see, I don't think Jesus' point was, "leave everything you've got and have nothing." Because I believe, as Mother Teresa said, "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family." I don't think God wants us to throw people over in order to follow Him. Because following Him is all about NOT throwing people over! I think what we're talking about here is that no matter what the cost is... love is worth it. If you have to distance yourself from people... that's ok. Boundaries are healthy. Toxic people do not have to have a place in your life. The idea of people doing for you in order to get from you. That may be how most of the world operates, but that doesn't make it ok. People in your life are either a lesson or a blessin', right? But here's where I'm trying to go with this Rant series: If you love people, you have to be willing to pay the cost. Because giving what you've got CAN be scary. It doesn't have to be, but it can be. Making yourself vulnerable takes a large measure of trust. So we need to be sure that we're loving the right people in the right way. That we're spending our Three T's, but not wasting them. Loving people is worth it, I think I'm trying to say. That's an easy blanket statement. Loving people the right way takes a bit more effort. Still worth it, but we need to understand the cost.