Are you a good lover?

I am typically always proud of my kids. I guess you can say that I am just one of those proud mommas. Except, when one of them acts really snotty or says something really smart aleck then, well, not so much. But most of the time, I am quite proud. This past week, though, I had the absolute best proud momma moment.

As I have previously shared, we are homeschoolers and my daughter takes most of her classes through our homeschool coop. One of the things in which she participates that is not part of our homeschool coop is an art class. She attends art class one evening per week at a local art studio. It is a class specifically designed for teenagers. There are about eight kids in the class with only one being a boy. My daughter is the only homeschooler.

Every week when I pick Annie up and make the five minute drive home, I get the low down on what happened in class.  I get a lot of my teacher said this, so and so said that, so and so is painting that, our next project is going to be this, etc.  Last week when I picked her up, the story went a little, well, a whole lot differently.  It went something like this.

"You know the girl I always sit by with short blonde hair?"

"Yes, I remember her."

"Well, she got kicked out of her church.  It is just terrible."

"What do you mean she got kicked out of her church?"

"Well, she told me that she is gay."

"Really, why did she tell you that?"

"I told her that I am a very conservative Christian.  And, she said to me, 'Then you probably won't want to be my friend anymore because I am gay.'  I told her that I really don't care if she is gay or not, that it doesn't affect us being friends.  I may not agree with her lifestyle, but she's still the same person.  She then told me how after her church found out that they basically kicked her family out.  I told her that was just wrong and that she is welcome to go to my church with me."

Honestly, I can't remember what I said at this point.  But, my heart was - and still is - overflowing with pride for my daughter and her behavior. Love, that is what it all boils down to. When you strip away everything else, all that remains is love.

Of course, I do not mean that purity of heart and life do not matter.  They do.  But, no heart and life can truly be sanctified without love.  A life that is perfected in God's love is a life that is wholly surrendered to God's will.  And, to love unlike God loves is to live far short of God's righteous calling on our lives.*

So, what kind of lover are you?  Do you love everyone or just those whom you have deemed "worthy" of your love?

Jesus, the best lover of all, had a lot to say about the way we love.  In the book of Luke we are told:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.  Luke 10:28

Wow! Love my neighbor as myself. If someone doesn't agree with me, would I like for that person to still show love towards me? Yes, yes, I would. That girl of mine got it right and that makes this momma proud!

Go share some JOY by loving on someone who needs some love.

Tami

*The Professor (aka my husband), my resident Bible scholar, helped out a little with this paragraph for clarification purposes.  Love that man!