Love in the fast lane

I've recently been convinced, or you could say convicted, that I do not love others enough. No where near what we are called to. Oh, sure, I love my wife and kids, and show them that continually. And I am nice to my friends, try to be polite and friendly to co-workers. But love?

Jesus says in John that his disciples would be known by their love. And we are commanded to love our enemies. So what is love, and how do you recognize it? To put others first, to put as much value on the things they care about as I do to the things I care about.

I find lots of examples of issues when driving the highways everyday. So when the guy in the car next to me is being a jerk and very aggressive, and now he wants to pull over in front of me, what is my reaction? Normally I bristle up, thinking "No way am I letting you get your way", then drive aggressive back. Is this love? Ha - of course not. Wouldn't the correct response be to say - "oh you want in front of me? Sure, and have a nice day."?

I know, that runs so counter to my nature. Even writing this I can feel my body tighten up in the instinctual response to the imaginary scene in the car. Maybe that is a good indicator that I am not feeling the peace and love, but rather the conflict and discord.

We are instructed that if someone asks you for you jacket, to also give them your shirt. If you are forced (as the Roman soldiers did) to carry someone's belongings for a mile, go ahead and go for 2. So in other words go out of your way to exceed what others want from you, bend over backwards to prove the love you have. Do I do this?

I am reminded of a time months ago that we (wife, kids and I) had met at a food joint for a quick bite before Wednesday night church. It was raining, and much heavier was on its way. As we were leaving some guy stopped me asking for an umbrella. He looked like the type that you automatically ignore - not quite a homeless look, but the type that would be trying to make a fast buck off of you. So I lied and told him I did not have an umbrella, while I did have one in my car that I had not used for a long time. I could have very easily given it to him, and used the opportunity to plant a seed. If nothing else just show love. But no, I was selfish and suspicious, and failed the test. Not only did I say no, I actually lied about it. And all for an umbrella I never used and was at least 8 years old. I could have replaced it pretty cheap.

So, if an objective observer was to look at me and all my actions, would they say - "Wow, he is full of love!"? Or would they say "He shows love to those he cares about, but looks for his own advantage to everyone else."?

LORD, let your love grow inside me. Help me to display your love to all those around me.