Friday, July 15, 2016

being what we desire

Lewis cries out to God on behalf of his deceased wife today in A Year with C.S. Lewis.

He says what we all feel... that we want God to treat our loved ones "tenderly... tenderly" as they are made perfect for heaven.

And don't we want that for ourselves, too? If you're anything like me, you want God to be tender, merciful, loving, and kind to you. I definitely want Him to treat me that way.

Now, let's think about the fact that God has called us to be Jesus to those in our lives. To be the hands and feet of Christ. How should we then treat our neighbors? Our friends? Our family? Even our enemies?

If we are being Jesus to them, then of course we should treat them the way we want God to treat us. We should be kind to them. We should forgive them. We should love them. We should treat them "tenderly... tenderly".

This is the Golden Rule taken to its logical conclusion. Treat others the way you want God to treat you. Not with harsh judgment. Not with vindictive retribution. Not with vengeance. Not holding a grudge. But with kindly love. With tenderness.

God, fill our hearts so full of your kindness and love that we can't help but treat one another the same way.

5 comments:

Julie said...

So very well stated

Unknown said...

Very difficult for me to love my enemies who not only say they're going to hurt my family, but actually attempt to. I have mellowed through the years, but I still feel strongly about that.

Unknown said...
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jefe said...

loving your enemy doesn't mean letting them hurt your family. it does mean praying for their salvation.

jefe said...
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