Love one another...

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you…” - John 15:12

A friend posted this Scripture verse on her Facebook wall yesterday.  It's a wonderful Scripture verse.  Yet, when one sits with it for a while and lives into it with life's experiences, the depth of this "love" becomes more than some surface, fluffy emotion.

So, I wanted to explore that more.  I knew I wanted and needed to post something on the Scripture, but I needed to wait.  Here is what I posted:

"Loving one another as God has loved us. That was with sacrificial, gut-wrenching love. It came at a price of being misunderstood, being rejected. On the surface, this is a nice verse. But, if I am truly going to live it out, then I need to be well aware that my life is ultimately not about me, but for the sake of others."

I still want to explore this further.  So, I'm going to keep chewing on this a little longer and see what I come up with.

My friend Mark Davis put together a listing of the "one another" verses...... Unfortunately, I had those saved on a different computer that experienced a "crash" several years ago.  Even though we had back-up, we have a difficult time getting documents off the back-up.  I might have a hard copy somewhere.  He sent me those and I printed them out for a Staff Parish meeting back in the day.

I wanted to get more context, so I went to the surrounding verses:

⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
 ¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹² This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (KJV)
Further verses (18, 20) mention hatred and persecution being endured because of this love, yet we don't often focus on that aspect.  It is more comfortable to focus on the "love" and "abiding" portions without fully taking into consideration what that love really means and what that love requires.

As I continue to reflect on this verse, here are some of the things that come to mind:

If I am going to love others as Christ has loved me, then I am going to...

... get in the boat and go to the other shore (over and over again). [as Jesus did in Mark]
...put others' needs before my own. (Jesus taking care of the hungry crowds)
...spend time with them.
...be willing to weep with them and celebrate with them.
...pray with and for others.
...take time away so that I can be better prepared to give of myself.
...pay attention to and play with the children.
...treat others with kindness.
...speak the truth in and with love and compassion.
...walk the journey with others.
...be misunderstood.
...be rejected.
...be persecuted.
...be hated.

These are just some of the things that come to mind as I reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus and this verse. 

I could go deeper.  I could pull out some of the books I've read and look for some good quotes.  I could dig into my memory for some examples recent and further away of personal experience of where loving others in the name of Christ hasn't worked out too well for me.  But, that's not where I'm going to go with this.  Besides, I continue to remind myself that it (life and all of this spiritual growth) isn't about me, it is for the sake of others.   And that is one thing I will share.  From Robert (Bob) Mulholland's speaking to us at an Academy session and from his book, Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation, I learned this:

the definition of spiritual formation is that it is a process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.

The process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.  Well, from what I've experienced, that is love. 

I don't always get it right.  I'm still learning and growing myself.  Yet, my desire is to love and live as Christ did.  I will continue to stumble and fall along the way even as I attempt to love and live well.  But, I will get back up and continue on.  The journey of growing and learning is well worth the bumps, bruises, and pain.

Blessings on your journey,

Debra