Caregiver Chronicles: When the Caregiver Needs Some Care Given

It's a good thing my friends are looking out for me. If not, I'd probably have collapsed by now. 

For those who don't know, my elderly neighbor Sam moved into my home earlier this week. 

He was already on the farm when I moved here in 1989. He worked for me until his health began to fail. He still lived in the one bedroom cottage he's occupied since 1960 until his move a few days ago. 

I've looked after Sam ever since his wife died. Carried him to the grocery, helped him with his food, prepared meals for him, managed medications, and gone with him to doctors' appointments. In addition to full-time ministry, writing, and caring for my own home and property, it's been overwhelming.

The move and those first few days were stunningly hard. Sam had problems I hadn't foreseen, and we needed solutions right away. Frankly, I was so stressed about then that I couldn't come up with a solution if my life depended upon it.

That's when the body of Christ stepped in and did what Christ envisioned. 

One of my friends called from the grocery store. "What do you need right now? I told her. "I'll be there in thirty minutes," she assured me. And she was.

Another friend called with the same question. I could only find one pair of Sam's pajamas. That was no problem. She came bearing two new pairs of pajamas so I wouldn't have to wash so often. 

Those sweet actions are the hands and feet of Jesus in action. 

The dogs needed grooming in the worst way. I've been doing their grooming for nearly two years in an attempt to trim expenses. This time, there was no way I could wrangle enough hours out of the day to make the attempt, so I decided to take them to a new groomer. 

I texted my friend. "Do I have to have them there by 9 am? Because I'm not sure I can get Sam up and out in time." No problem, she assured me. She'd come get them and drop them off. I could pick them up later. When she arrived and saw our situation, she decided to bring them back, too. And take them to the vet for me to get the shots they needed. 

The hands and feet of Jesus were in action again.

Sam was sick on Friday. I'd done all I knew to do, including pray over him and beg God to help. Finally, I asked God to send someone to pray with us. And He did. 

Two friends came by, brought peaches and prayers, and read from the gospel of John. Sam and I were worn out, and it was balm to both our souls.

The hands and feet of Jesus arrived just in time.

When our friend brought lunch yesterday and saw the difficulty Sam was having, she didn't hesitate. "I have exactly what you need at home. I'll be right back." She was. I had no idea what to do, but she'd been in our situation before, and she was right. 

By yesterday afternoon, I was exhausted and ready for a moment to myself. Another friend came with snacks to eat, rocks to paint, and supper to stick in the fridge. Before fun, though, she intended to help me do whatever task needed doing. We did the one I'd dreaded the most, and spent the rest of the time visiting over paintbrushes and rocks.

Last night, I crawled in bed less tired than the night before. As I've looked back over the last few days, the thing that's most remarkable is the love that's been lavished. I've taken my needs to the Lord and He's met them through His people. No one person has done all the work, but many hands and hearts have helped us, supported us, loved us. 

It has taken the body of Christ to do this hard work of loving my neighbor as I love myself, and we, Christ's hands and feet, have done it together. 

There are people all across this world who are loving others by being caregivers. Unless you've been there, you can't imagine how very hard it is. We, body of Christ, can share the load, if we will. 

Today, consider who in your circle of friends and family is serving as a caregiver and ask our Lord how you can help. 

Some of the help I've been given requires hours of time. Others spent less than thirty minutes helping. It's not the duration of the help that's mattered so much. It's the timeliness of it. 

When you help a caregiver do what must be done, you, too, serve as the hands and feet of Jesus. You, too, become the one who loves your neighbor as you love yourself. 

Some of us are called to take our neighbor into our homes. Others of us are called to help them. We all have a part. Which part do you have? Let's be sure to step up and reach out. 

Someone is counting on you.

"Do unto others as you would like them to do to you." Luke 6:31 nlt

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Please like and share if this blog post has touched your heart. It extends our digital reach in significant ways. Thank you.

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Guest Blogger Debbie Pharr: Words of Faith or Words of Fear

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Jordan, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line

When We Made Up Our Minds about a Hard Thing, and We Did It

No one should have to face death by themselves. When you give your word, you keep it. Those two truths helped us do what had to be done. There were, of course, a few Scriptures that helped us, too...

- greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend. (John 15:13)

- do unto others as you'd have them do unto you (Luke 6:31)

- love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 22:39)

Those verses describe the love Jesus has, the love He intended us to have. We become more like Jesus by doing what He says, so we did it. 

It's that simple. It's that hard.

My neighbor, Sam, came to live with me yesterday. He'll be here until the end. It wasn't an easy decision, and it wasn't an easy move, but we both knew it was the right decision.

We made it through the first day and night.

There were a few moments when I thought we might not. When the man setting up the bed found a broken clip and asked for duct tape to fix it...when Sam told a friend on the phone that he was just spending the night for one night...when we planned Sam's funeral and his obituary...when the baby monitor picked up the cyclic whooshing of the air mattress pump so well that the noise nearly drove me crazy...

Overall, though, it was a beautiful day. 

At the beginning, Sam was so frail and weak that he barely made it to my car with his walker. It was a demonstration of enormous resolve that he continued to walk when he was barely able to move one foot in front of the other and had such dizziness that he could scarcely see. As he crawled into the car and sank into the leather seat I thought, "This is what tough looks like."

He says his tongue doesn't work and he can't eat, but Sam managed to get a bowl of ice cream down, as well as several Boosts. By the end of the day, his skin wasn't as pasty, his smile was back, he was speaking more, and he was a little stronger. He could get to the bathroom and back to the bed without staggering (well, not as much staggering). He wasn't as short of breath.

Late yesterday afternoon, Sam was seated in the same recliner my Mama occupied five years ago. Same exact spot. He looked over at the hospital bed and back at me. "I never thought I'd end my life in a place so nice." It was all I could do not to weep. This is what grace looks like. Unmerited favor, for both of us. 

I'm tired this morning, but content to know that we've done what I promised I'd do back in 1989: Take care of Sam and let him stay here on the farm as long as he lives. 

We're both grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers. We're so grateful for all those who have called, texted, emailed, and come by. For those who have done some of the myriad of tasks I haven't had time to do. For all those who will help us along this way.

I can't do this alone and I'm grateful I don't have to...thank you all. This beautiful international digital community has become family to me and I'm grateful to be a part.

I'm not doing anything special. I'm doing what we're all called to do: loving our neighbor in the same way we love ourselves. 

Today, please keep praying for us. It's the only way we'll make it through. 

But don't just pray; do more...look around and see which neighbor God has assigned to you. Who should you love as you love yourself? For whom should you lay down your life? 

Obedience is hard, but it's always worth it.

"Great love hath no one than this, that on lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13 nasb

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Please like and share if this blog post has touched your heart. It extends our digital reach in significant ways. Thank you.

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: When the Time to Move Finally Comes

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Jordan, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line

#sam #loveyourneighbor

The Caregiver Chronicles: The Body of Christ at Work

I ordered this model to teach kids about how beautifully our bodies are designed. Our hand is an intricate symphony of bones, vessels, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. The design allows us to feel, touch, take, give - to do all the things hands do. 

Today, I'm using the photo to represent the body of Christ. Every part is vital. Every one plays an important role. When the body of Christ works together as Jesus intended, the world stands in awe.

That's what happened with those who were first called Christians. The believers in Antioch demonstrated love for God and love for neighbor in such stunning ways that those around them began to call them "little Christ" people. Those disciples acted so much like the Christ that outsiders could see a clear picture of Jesus in them.

Today, I'm sharing another little piece of the Caregiver Chronicles I seem to be writing. 

I arrived late to the office yesterday because Dale Ruth had come to the farm to fix my truck brakes. I walked in the door and Christian Putt greeted me with the warmest smile ever. She always does that, and, when she does, she's really saying, "Welcome home. We're glad you're here." And it is. And we are. Home. What a sweet place to be, and Christian, as usual, reminded me of that fact. 

Because I was late, I'd missed prayer time. I went in search of prayer cards so I could contact the missionaries we'd prayed for, but Maria Geno had them. "No. I'm emailing the missionaries today," she told me. She was adamant. I had more than enough going on. She'd do that.

Sharon Batley hugged me and offered me gluten-free banana bread. If you've never been gluten-free, you don't know how precious that bread was. It was a HUGE treat.

Allie Nokes had suggestions for how hospice might help and shared her considerable wisdom gained from her experience as a caregiver. She had her daughter bring things  from home she thought might be helpful.

Lyle Rainey had suggestions about my pig and shared some wisdom I desperately needed.

Adrian Green asked questions about my situation until he found a way he could help, then immediately volunteered.

Marla Nunnelee, Rose Rainey, Carolyn Roye, and Evelyn Wages had words of encouragement and love. 

Blake Wages helped me load my pickup with boxes of personal care packs for Calvary Baptist Church to use. (They leave today for a short-term mission trip with Beautiful Feet in Fort Worth so please pray for the people to whom they'll minister and those who will receive packs and the gospel.) 

Rory Tyer shared my joy over having a place for the packs to be used for Jesus so soon. His big smile matched the one in my heart.

When I arrived at Calvary, a church I dearly love, Jim Yates' sons enthusiastically unloaded the boxes in the blazing heat. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, but they never complained. Instead, they talked about how much they loved going on mission trips and sharing Christ. 

People messaged me, prayed for me, emailed me. It all touched my heart. It all helped.

I cried several times yesterday. This time, they were happy tears over the pure sweetness of the body of Christ. No one person did all the work, but everyone did something and, in the doing, they lifted my burden and carried it with me. That's what it means to "bear one another's burdens." We all join together to help with the load. No one person does all the work.

All of can do one small thing. Many small things will add up to a big blessing. 

Today, let's look for at least one small something we can do for someone who's going through a hard time. A word of encouragement. A suggestion from your experience with a similar situation. Weeping with those who weep. Rejoicing with those who rejoice. Hands on help. Wisdom where needed.

Body of Christ, we need each other more than we know. When we love the way Jesus intended, the world will stand in awe. It was that Antioch-style Christlikeness that turned the world right side up. If we do what they did, we could change the world again. So let's get started today. 

See a need and meet it. 

"Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2 esv

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Please like and share if this blog post has touched your heart. It extends our digital reach in significant ways. Thank you.

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Loving Your Neighbor and Using Interpretive Dance to Do It 

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Jordan, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line

#loveyourneighbor #globaloutreachreachingout

Loving Your Neighbor and Using Interpretive Dance to Do It

When I went to my local box store on Saturday morning, I left Sam in bed, too weak to get up. I dashed in to get what he absolutely needed, then looked for food for myself. I prayed God would help me "find simple." The simplest things I found were peanut butter and a bag of fresh green beans. 

They'd moved the gluten-free products again, and all I could find was frozen bread. Time was short, so I went home with no healthy snacks and nothing that would make a simple meal without cooking everything from scratch. 

I was kinda surprised I didn't get a better answer to my prayer, but decided to be grateful for what I had.

Since the bread was still frozen, I couldn't make a peanut butter sandwich without stopping to thaw the bread. For lunch that day, I squirted mustard on sandwich meat and hoped I could find something better for dinner without having to cook. I didn't. 

Usually, I use the weekend to prepare enough for several days, but I hadn't gotten to that yet. It wasn't that I didn't have food. I just didn't have easy food.

I haven't asked permission to tell this next part, but I'm doing it anyway, and hoping for forgiveness. I had plans for lunch, but had cancelled them because Sam wasn't physically up to going to eat after church. 

I had just cancelled my plans when my friend, Kandy Walker, texted me. She wanted to come visit for a little bit and maybe do some interpretive dance. I was intrigued.

When she arrived after church, she jumped out, arms flung wide, and gave me a huge hug, then broke out into her interpretive dance routine. It was simply marvelous. She frolicked about on my front lawn and we laughed at the outrageousness.

My spirit lifted with that laughter, just as Kandy knew it would.

"I brought simple," she announced and began to unload her car. I blinked back tears. God had heard my prayer and answered it in an unexpected way.

"You were on my mind this morning and, as I was praying, I kept thinking, 'What would I need if I were Leanna?'" 

Kandy brought paper goods, including paper plates and napkins. "Eat off paper plates for a while." I embraced her suggestion.

She brought frozen gluten-free dinners. (Ones she knows are both tasty and organic.) Fruit. Pre-washed, cut up vegetables. Gluten-free snacks. Gluten-free soups. The array of gifts was enormous and healthy.

She prepared a simple lunch and we ate together. I asked about her needs once, and she cut me off. "Nope. Today is not about me. Today is about helping Leanna keep taking care of Sam." 

She let me ramble, and listened as I talked. She went with me to feed the farm animals. Later, she suggested I make a list of all the things I'm doing, divide them into things someone else could do, and consider where I might find help. "If Sam wants you to do everything for him, let's figure out how that can be possible." We did.

Instead of merely responding to one urgent need after another, I have a plan that's workable. It's a great relief. 

Instead of cooking from scratch, I have easy (and healthy) meals that don't require much preparation. 

Kandy took the time to consider the life she knows I live and find ways to make it easier for this season. 

She loved her neighbor as she loved herself. Literally.

I don't know if Kandy has ever met Sam, but she's made his life much better by making my life easier. 

Kandy's gift to me was one of the sweetest and most helpful anyone has given. I'll treasure it for years to come.

What made her gift so great?

1) She used a moment of silliness to intentionally make me laugh.
2) She listened to me vent and didn't judge.
3) She considered my needs and dietary requirements, then acted accordingly.
4) She brought a few simple frozen meals I could pull out when I need something healthy and quick on a hard day.
5) She gave me permission to use disposable plates and napkins.
6) She asked about what else I needed to do that afternoon and left in time to allow me to do it.
7) She helped me examine all I'm doing and make a plan to find help where needed.
8) She gave lots of hugs.

Somewhere near each of us, there's a Sam or a Leanna, a care-receiver or a care-giver, who is struggling. We want caregivers to go the distance, right? Let's help them do it.

Take a hint from Kandy and consider what would make life simpler, easier. 

Going out to eat isn't alway easier. Take a meal, then sit and eat it together. 

Instead of taking a huge basket of fruit, take a few bananas or a couple of pears. 

Fresh baked goods are nice, but not necessary. I could never eat an entire cake or pie by myself. The box of gluten-free snack bars Kandy brought were a much better alternative.

What about paper plates and napkins? I'd never even considered using paper products for a while.

If everyone did a little bit, it would make more of a difference than you can imagine. Who in your world needs a visit from you? Interpretive dance isn't required, but a listening ear and a loving heart are. 

Today, make a start. Be present. Love your neighbor the way you love yourself. It's okay to start small as long as you do something. 

According to Jesus, doing nothing is never an option, so let's start loving. 

"Jesus replied, 'The most important commandment is this...Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No there commandment is greater than these." Mark 12:29-31 nlt

(Sam's walking with his walker again, thanks to the prayers of thousands of people. Thank you!) 
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Please like and share if this blog post has touched your heart. It extends our digital reach in significant ways. Thank you.

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Where We Are Now 

If you feel led to partner with this ministry (US, Jordan, the digital world), here's the link to give your tax-deductible donations: Global Outreach Acct 4841 

Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line

#loveyourneighbor

The Vigil

This journey of ours started a long week ago. For those of you who are joining for the first time, our current adventure began last Friday. 

When my phone rang, I almost didn't answer it. I was busy and hated to stop for a telemarketer. 

It wasn't a sales call. 

My elderly neighbor Sam had called to say his wife had "slid down in the floor" and he couldn't get her up. I'm glad I answered, but it was a call that changed our lives forever. 

Sam and his wife Jamie have lived in a cottage at the entrance to my farm since 1960, when Sam came to work on the farm I now own. In the early years, he and I spent most of my days off together. He taught me to set a trot line, sharpen a knife, skin a rabbit. We have had a glorious time together. 

After I married and had my son, Ryan joined us in our rural adventure. Sam taught Ryan to make repairs, use a hammer, calm a frightened animal, tighten a cinch, and catch a fish with nothing more than a hook and a piece of bread. 

Jamie did factory work, took care of Sam, and made the best biscuits in the world. Her door was always open and, if you stopped by at mealtime, she fed you, whether you intended to be fed or not. 

She loved Sam and she loved my son. 

On that day that seems so long ago, I found Jamie sitting on the floor, leaned up against the bedroom door. Sam and I lifted her up and into a chair, but it was clear she was in big trouble. I called 911. 

From the ambulance crew to Minnie, the sweet lady who cleans the room, people have been nice to us. They have bathed us in kindness and cushioned this awful journey in gentleness and a sweetness that is both unexpected and difficult to comprehend. 

This morning, I went to the cafeteria to grab a quick breakfast and hurry back to the room. At the checkout, I reached into my wallet for my money, and heard a young woman behind me say, "I've got both of these." I handed my $10 to the cashier and she smiled. "She already got yours." The "both" the young woman had claimed was her breakfast and mine. 

I wept. 

Tears trickled down my face as I stammered words of thanks to a woman I did not know and will never forget. Whoever you are, thank you. 

I learned something momentous in that moment. 

Last night, one of the nurses talked with me. "We've watched how you've loved your neighbors. I've never seen a doctor love someone like this, treat someone like you've treated Miss Jamie and Mr. Sam. It's rare these days for anyone to do this. I want you to know it's changed me. If you need anything, all you have to do is tell us. I promise you, I'm going to pay it forward. I want to do what I've seen you do." 

I smiled and thanked her, but I didn't understand. Until this morning. The lady at breakfast opened my eyes. 

In our society, we've become so consumed with ourselves and our busyness that we've stopped caring for those around us. I've substituted texts for visits and phone calls for presence far too often. 

This week has been hard, but it's been worth it. I hope I do better next time. I've failed so many of my friends over the years that I've spent this week repenting it. I hope I do better in the future. 

Loving our neighbor is spoken of far more than done. Loving our neighbor as ourselves is rare, and loving our neighbor when it costs us dearly is even more rare. I haven't done anything special at all. I've tried to act like Jesus in a difficult situation and done a poor job of it. I could have loved more. I should have loved more. 

I can do better at loving. We all can do better at loving each other, and we must. 

As Sam and I have sat beside the bed of his dying wife, he's talked about their marriage of sixty years. His life is changing and the future is frightening. "What am I going to do?" he asked me. "They same thing we've always done," I told him. "You'll take care of me and I'll take care of you. After all these years, why stop now?" 

Hours later, Sam smiled. "You know, today I feel like I'm gonna make it through." 

Jamie's condition continues to decline. She is not expected to make it. No. That's not right. She is expected to make it, but she won't be staying here. She is preparing for her journey from this world to the next. Her time here is almost over, but her new life is only beginning. 

For now, we wait, standing vigil at the bedside of a woman Sam has loved more than he loves himself. It looks like Jesus at this bedside. When I see love like Sam's, who else could it be?

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Matt. 22:39

Here's the link to yesterday's post on this topic:  http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-eternal-destination.html

#loveyourneighbor #payitforward #vigil #disciple

How to inherit eternal life, part 13: From Jerusalem to Jericho

Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. (Luke 10:30 NASB)

... So the people crossed opposite Jericho. (Joshua 3:16 NASB)

We are studying the passage from Luke in which Jesus paints a word picture of loving your neighbor as yourself. I have a little treat for you at the end, so be sure to read all the way through. (You can read about loving your neighbor as yourself and being a friend to sinners with these links in a separate tab and still keep this one open.) Today, we turn to the journey from Jerusalem to Jericho. 

Jericho is an interesting city and merits a closer look. Most people will remember the "battle" at Jericho in which the people walked around the city, day after day, as God prescribed, until the walls came down. The victory was, quite literally, won by their walk of obedience. What we often forget is that Jericho was the place where the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. You may remember that they stood, after forty years of wandering, at the edge of the Jordan River. The water was rushing past and the walled city of Jericho was nearby on the other side. (BTW, this is the place where I was baptized and may have been the place where Jesus was baptized by John. Imagine that! Baptized in the place where Joshua and the children of Israel entered the promised land, where John the Baptizer ministered, and where our Lord Jesus was baptized as well. How incredible is that?) 

Jericho was a relatively large city, likely an affluent city (because of the walls), and well-populated. It was also filled with fear. They were terrified because of the vast numbers of the children of Israel who had just crossed the Jordan, and well they might have been, for their destruction was near. It would not, however, be the multitude of wanderers that would destroy them, but their God. 

Jericho is a beautiful city. It was known for its "aromatics" and had a wonderful fragrance. It is surrounded by desert, but because of the Jordan and the spring known as Elijah's Spring, it serves as a kind of oasis in the desert. Getting to Jericho was, however, difficult. The distance from Jerusalem to Jericho is roughly 18 miles. The journey is difficult, in part, because of the change in altitude between the two cities of more than 3000 feet, making at least a portion of the journey extremely steep. Because of the altitude difference, there is an accompanying change in the environment, becoming increasingly dry and arid as you approach Jericho. There are several excellent hiding places along the way and it was a popular place for robbers to hide. In fact, the robbers had been so successful in their crimes that it had become known as the "way of blood" because of the amount of blood shed in that place.

Some commentators suggest that, in this story, Jerusalem is symbolic of God's government and that Jericho symbolizes man's government. Others suggest that Jerusalem symbolizes paradise and Jericho, the world. Certainly, either of those are possible, but Jesus may have simply chosen this literal road for His parable because it was well known to His listeners and familiar as a dangerous path, albeit one that many of them would travel. The man traveling along the road may have simply been going about his business, living life as usual, when he was brutally attacked and left for dead. Those who passed him may have also been simply going about the business of life, hurrying through a dangerous and difficult path to get to an easier part of the journey as quickly as possible. That's the interpretation I favor.

You see, loving our neighbors isn't a scheduled event. We don't set an alert on our smart phone for "love your neighbor time". Jesus calls us to love our neighbor as we go about our day. While we are walking from one destination to the next (or driving, as the case may be), going about the business of life, we are to love our neighbor. The critical factor here is our ability to see our neighbor. Unless we are paying attention, looking around us, with the eyes and heart of Christ, we are not likely to see the need of our neighbor in distress. If we fail to recognize the need, we will never meet it. If we fail to see our neighbor, we will never love Him. 

There's another little problem that we often have, and you likely know it as well as I.  Busyness. When we allow our lives to be overtaken by "busy", we remove the margin that allows the adventure of God. We eliminate the opportunity to love our neighbor when we become too busy to "take the time" for the loving acts God places in our path.

God has not called us to be busy, but to be faithful. Let's begin today to ask God to develop in us the eyes of Christ, eyes that see the need around us, as well as the heart of Christ that responds to that need with ready assistance, willing to go to the distance until all that is needed is done. 
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Here's your treat! The day before his death, Martin Luther King spoke to striking sanitation workers about this very passage. It is insightful, wonderfully written, and well worth the read. You can click on the link below to read it. You don't want to miss it!
https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2012/04/why-didnt-they-stop-martin-luther-king-jr-on-the-parable-of-the-good-samaritan/

Doing Good (Luke 6:33)

If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. (Luke 6:33 NASB)

This series of lessons from Luke 6 are focused on the "love your neighbor" teachings. The verse for today's study is one of three that teaches what loving your neighbor is NOT. Jesus repeatedly calls us to love the unlovely, the unfriendly, the unkind. He calls us to go beyond loving those who love us.  We are to love those who not only do not love us, but also those who hate us. It's the most difficult kind of love. 

Today, we see that this very hard love is not simply doing good to those who do good to you. Even sinners, He said, do that. The first thought, on reading this verse, is that we are all sinners. (As Romans 3:23, written years after the resurrection of Christ, teaches us, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God) Indeed, we are all sinners, but the word here translated as sinners is hamartōlos, indicating one who is a chronic sinner, one who is devoted to sin. In other words, even the worst of the worst people are good to those that are good to them. 

We are to go beyond what the one who is not constrained by Christ would do. We are to rise to a higher standard of love. It was while we were sinning, doing the worst that we could do, that Christ willingly died for us. We will not, of course, die on the cross for the sin of the world, for that job has been done once and for all. We are, however, called to love ceaselessly and give limitlessly. Are you loving that way?

Today, as a gift to Christ, make an effort to do good to the least lovely, most difficult person you encounter today, and don't tell another soul. 

Pray that our loved ones will be drawn to Christ because of the great goodness they see in His people. 

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Here's the link to last night's post. Feel free to share it. http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/04/shooting-at-fort-hood.html

Loving your neighbor (Luke 6:31)

Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. (Luke 6:31 NASB)

A lawyer once asked Jesus which was the greatest commandment. It was asked as a trick, of course, and intended to trap Him. He promptly replied, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' (Matthew 22:37, 39 NASB). Jesus effectively summarized the entire law in two brief sentences.  Oh, if obedience to those sentences were as quick and easy as His reply!  Jesus knew it would be easier to obey a set of rules for a God we don't see than love our neighbor, who we see and may not find terribly attractive, as ourselves. To make it a little easier, He told us HOW to love our neighbor. Every time you have an opportunity to respond to someone else, regardless of how much you "like" them (or dislike them), treat them the same way you want to be treated. 

A little trick that would help me more if I used it consistently to is remember that when we have "done it for the least of these" (including the least pleasant) we have done it unto Christ Himself. Well, that puts a little different spin on this loving your neighbor business, doesn't it?  If we could just treat our neighbor the way we'd like to treat Jesus, what a difference it would make. Even better, if we would treat our neighbor as Christ has treated us, what an amazing change it would work in us and in those around us. 

Here's what treating your neighbor as yourself looks like:  

Mercy and grace. Every time. 

You can't do it, but Jesus, working through you, can. 

Pray today that we will allow Jesus to love others through us. Pray too that our loved ones will see the love of Christ in us and be drawn to it. 

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Link for last night 'a blog here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-overcomer-daffodills.html