Who Do You Show Love?

Class: Love 101  Lesson #555 Who Do You Show Love?

     This is raw.  I have an issue with puking.  What ever comes to mind I puke out of my mouth without adding brain cells.  Sometimes this is a good thing and a lot of times it's bad.  I guess that's why I write here because it's my puke bucket.  I have put my name on it and it is mine.  People don't have to like what's in it, but then again they don't have to look.  Ha.  Sometimes puking can be painful when you get down to the raw stuff.  Sometimes this is more like a confessional and other times it's a process plant.  I change my thoughts into beliefs or waste.

     I love how God takes different things and brings them together for a lesson.  One thing He brought to class today was this picture.  Another was a conversation I had with Him.  Lastly was an incident at a restaurant.  Now all that food for thought has been churning in my stomach and it's time to let it go and get rid of that sick feeling.
     Some people are easy to show love.  The other night I went for dinner with a friend at a restaurant that hires people with challenges.  The "Greeter" at the door was in a wheelchair and also was living with some other challenge.  I don't want to say mental because he may have had cerebral palsy and it was really a physical challenge.  Several people walk by a person like this and intentionally put extra space between them.  Some people nervously smile and keep walking, and then there are people like me who walk up and take his hand and ask him how he is doing.  This person is easy to show love to in my little world.  Others would be single parents who need a little money for groceries or the occasional homeless person who needs a meal.  Also it's easy for me to show love to the person serving my food when they are grumpy or just seem down.  Their lives are not just serving people food all day.  They have kids and houses and dogs and problems too.
     I think we all have a list of those easy to show love to.  The homeless if we are not expected to hug their smelly bodies.  As though they had a place to shower and would probably like to take one more than we wish they would.  Or how about our friends.  When they are down or struggling it takes no thought at all to run to their side and help out.  Some of us love people like us, some of us love those who have less than us and some of us find it easy to show love to those we consider to be above us and we call that serving, because we feel less than or maybe even think we can get something out of it.
     I hate going to the dentist, but I love my dentist.  He is one of the most compassionate guys I know or else he fakes it very well.  The other day as I sat cringing in the chair (because I hate needles and it takes a lot to get my mouth numb) he said something about the fact that I hate dentists.  It struck me.  I told him, "I don't hate you.  I really  like you, but I don't always like what you do to me."  I got a pat and a smile and an "I like that.  Thank you."  I really like how he treats people especially me.  Ha.
  Around Christmas time we all get warm and fuzzy and it's  easier to show love to complete strangers.  When things are going exceptionally well, it's easier to show others love.  So you add this all up, mood, status, smell etc. etc. and we all have our own list of people who are easy to love and we all have a list of people we find especially challenging to love.
    Today God talked to me about what it is like for a pastor.  It's easy after a service to jump up and say good sermon on our way out the door.  It's easy to pick the sermon apart.  What is the life of a pastor like?  First of all, they work most weekends, that has to suck.  I would guess that most of the time when someone is rushing up to talk to them it is because they need something, advice, direction, to settle an argument, to argue with them about their sermon.  I'm guessing here, but I would say there are probably several people who say "nice sermon", but very few who say, "I'm going to give beyond a few words."  They get called out in the night for unpleasant things.  At least I can't think of any happy reason to wake up a pastor.  They advise people who really want help at least until the advice doesn't match up to what they want.  People assume they have a "Red Phone" they can pick up any time and ask God for answers.  I remember a pastor telling about how somebody brought his family dinner and how messed up he was over it.  It brought him to tears.  I'm glad I wasn't put on this earth to be a pastor.
     So the lesson today is showing love to everyone.  Love may not be what we think they need but at times what they really need.  There are probably homeless people who would rather have a listening ear or a hug than a meal at times.  There are probably wealth people who appear to have it all together who would love for someone to bring them dinner, just because.  You can't judge a book by it's cover.  You never know what's really going on inside of people or what they are battling every day.  I'm very guilty of staying in my own bubble and showing love to those who are easiest for me.  To step out of my comfort zone and give where I might get hurt or rejected is a tough one.  To love those who have already hurt me is most difficult sometimes, sometimes it's not.
     Usually when God talks to me and shows me this stuff it is followed by an opportunity to face what I have learned about myself.  Isn't it wonderful to be challenged to grow and learn?  (I sensed a little sarcasm there)  It's suppose to be, even when it doesn't feel like it.  Every challenge is a chance to learn and grow.  Step out of the comfort zone they say.  So I will be under my bed continuing this conversation with God and trying to find my courage. 



     I am back.  I decided there was more to say because luckily I took my CD player and a Graham Cooke CD under the bed with me and was able to listen to my next lesson in love.  As I weigh out the consequences of loving some people and I wonder how I could ever give in to God changing me and allow myself to be vulnerable, I heard Graham share a story.  After speaking on agape love and how we are to love everyone, he told of a young girl he had known for years.  He had met her family when she was two and watched her grow into a beautiful young woman.  This girl was gang raped by four men.  The last man to take his turn with her had sores all over one side of his face.  When he finished and was buckling his pants, she reached up and touched his face and asked Jesus to heal his sores and the man was healed immediately.  The girl died from the rape.  The only reason they knew she had asked God to supernaturally heal this man and he was healed, was because he gave his life to Jesus and tells the story.  That's all I have to say about love.