Called to Love

I continue to ponder thoughts about discipleship taking place through relationships, and how I have experienced giving and receiving the blessing of God's love though the people God has brought into my life.....

When my father died, one of my most tender and healing moments was crying in the arms of my friend Jason. He and his wife Laura are dear friends of ours, and we met them at a coffee shop after leaving the funeral home. When Jason asked me how I was doing, the tears came and he pulled me close. I sobbed in his arms while he held me. The touch was appropriate and our spouses were right there beside us. God's comfort washed over my broken heart right there in a male friend's arms in the the middle of a public place.

Here's another example. I have a friend named K., whose husband committed suicide after she filed for divorce. K. was in my small group and after the bible study, Heather and I prayed for her. We held her hands, and Joshua quietly played worship music on his guitar. We were all kneeling down on the floor during the prayer, and as God touched her, she began to cry. Healing washed over her pain and her little son patted her leg where the tears fell. It was tender and beautful, a peaceful moment during a very dark time.

My point is, Jason's arms and that prayer time on my family room floor were God's provisions for healing and love. God flowed His love through people, not programs. The healing and comfort that K. and I needed came in a very simple way, through flesh and blood people willing to love. Neither experience took place in a church building, or through a class, a book, or grief counseling (although it could happen that way). The relationships were already in place when the crisis hit, and the lovers simply yielded to being a vessel of God's love.

God is a lover. He is love. I know God has called me to be a lover, too. He has put passion in my heart and I have to be faithful to it. That means being willing to connect with other people and having the courage to let people in. It means fighting to keep the flame alive when, as a prophet once told me, you are surrounded by fire fighters all your life trying to put it out.

It's still here, God. My heart is still tender. My flame is still alive. I will love. I will hug my family. I will kiss my friends. I will bond as you lead. I want Your love to flow through my life.