What I learned.

By Randa Dinkler

As I sit down to reflect on the weekend, I hear the words, “Christ’s love compels me.” In the days following our time together, I feel as though His love is carrying me and is all around me, compelling me to do everything I do. His Word tells us, “Faith, hope and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.” I realize now that I have put much of my “efforts” into attaining, perfecting, or understanding faith and hope, and expected love to simply just ‘come’. I have learned that, as a human, to unreservedly surrender to my Father, I need to trust Him – and how do I trust Him if I do not first believe in His love for me? His TRUE love, the gracious and merciful love He tells us about, not the broken love I think I understand from a lifetime of receiving imperfect and broken human love. As a little girl who stands at the side of a pool and in complete trust, jumps into the open arms of her daddy, so I long to be, trusting my Father’s love to catch me into strong, loving arms. There still may be a little fear, but love overcomes fear, and I jump because it isn’t about ME, it is about HIM and His extravagant, all-embracing love. His love that always brings good even out of the worst we experience.

So what was my “take home”? A few things:
Linda’s 4 points resonated with the stirrings in my own heart – I changed them a little to remember them by the LONGing I have to love as Christ loves.
-LISTEN attentively to the Holy Spirit
-OBEY His commands – as He gives them
-NOTICE the “one” (the lonely, afraid, hurt, confused)
-GIVE just a little bit (a smile, a note, a helping hand)

The opportunities to love can be overwhelming and daunting – but when I wait for and listen to HIS promptings to love, I am only where HE wants me to be, and there is joy in the loving.

Also, the challenge to “stoop down to make others great” is a good one, and one that I am taking to heart. I struggle with selfishness – as an introvert, I like my own time and space,and somehow think I deserve it. Wrong. I love because Christ loved me first and loves me extravagantly (even unto death), and I must remember how Christ was a servant to all, lovingly and willingly giving of Himself in obedience to His Father. I doubt He even had His own agenda! In my heart, I love people, but what does that love in action look like? Is it extravagant? Is it a love that transforms? Is it a love that gives them a glimpse of Abba Father that makes them want to know Him? I especially desire to bring my own children into that extravagant love for others – is someone we know sick? Together as a family let’s make a meal for them. Is someone mourning? Let me teach my kids how to pray for the hurting and send them a card. I want to teach my kids, as God has taught me, to love actively, and to be compassionate, loving people, just like Christ. If I am to teach them, I must first be the example.

To know Christ and His love is to obey Him. To get to know Him – and myself as truly Beloved -  is to make daily time for Him in my life. May it be so for all of us. Christ love heals us as much as it simultaneously compels us.