I nodded in agreement as my son explained the problem with his car. He had stopped by to drop off a few things and left the vehicle running in the driveway, listening for a particular sound. I waited a few seconds with him, straining my ears to no avail.
His explanation droned on, and I caught his wife’s eye.
“Exactly…” I said, knowingly. “That’s what I suspected all along.”
And we laugh because I am hopelessly inept with all things mechanical!
I can, however, drive a car, and I have spent many hours in the driver’s seat since turning sixteen without much knowledge of car “behavior” beyond the rudiments of the internal combustion engine! I also use an iPhone, clicking and making contact with the screen in ways that are consequential and (most of the time) produce the intended results—even though I understand only the very surface of what’s going on.
I don’t need to understand the mechanics to have it work for me!
I don’t have to understand the mechanics of sanctification to have it work for me.
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The Blueprint for Love in Action
So when I’m straining and stretching to love the infuriating, the annoying, or the incomprehensible brother or sister in Christ whom God has assigned to me for my sanctification…
How do I do it?
How can the love of God be planted and grown in this cold, inhospitable, and often judgmental human heart?
Well, I don’t know HOW, but Paul the Apostle has given me the blueprint for love in action:
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
Romans 12:9-13
Notice that Paul doesn’t say one thing here about how I should feel as I “let love be genuine.” My assignment is to be busy shunning evil, showing honor, practicing patience, and praying without ceasing. I’m commanded to aggressively (and competitively!) knock myself out as I strive in his power to give up, show up, pay up, shut up, and throw open my front door with love as my only motivation.
I don’t have to understand the mechanics of sanctification to have it work for me.
C.S. Lewis offers significant clarification of the miracle that we can be “in Christ” as he actually operates through us:
The whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts—we are his fingers and muscles, the cells of his body”
Do I understand how this can be?
Not one bit, but I depend on it every single time I sit at the keyboard to write or open my teaching notes with a group of women!
Just as I accept by faith the function of my car and my phone, Lord help me to receive from you the wherewithal to fulfill your command to love. Empower me to act out of obedience, knowing that you are faithful and you will not fail to equip me for all the righteousness that you want to perform through this jar of clay. Please finish what you’ve begun in me!
Amen
And what’s your challenge today?
Even if you can’t SEE or UNDERSTAND how God can work and enable and empower you, it’s true:
You don’t have to understand the mechanics to have it work for you!
Holding You in the Light,
Notice that Paul doesn’t say how I should feel as I “let love be genuine.” I’m commanded to aggressively (and competitively!) give up, show up, pay up, shut up, and throw open my front door with love as my motivation.
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Living Our Days 
I wrestled with this a lot when we took care of my mother-in-law in our home. I didn’t feel loving and altruistic and welcoming. I felt burdened, and, I am very sorry to say, resentful that my empty nest plans had been upended. I confessed that to the Lord often both while she was there and long after she was gone. I still have lingering regrets to this day that I wasn’t more loving and welcoming. And I wonder if I was still showing love by taking care of her even though I didn’t feel loving–or, as 1 Corinthians 13 says, I was serving without love, which amounts to dissonant clanging. I can’t do anything now about what I felt then, but I pray God will enable me to love others as He wants me to.
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Our stories intersect at this point, Barbara. I sure know that I could have had a better attitude and served my mum with more patience and joy when she lived here. Hopefully our regret is a sign of repentance and growth…?
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To you, Michele, and Barbara Harper above: As far as I know, God never tells us in his Word that it’s a sin when we don’t FEEL love. Love is an action, in spite of feelings. The fact that you both practiced gracious hospitality to your mother-in-law/mother is a tremendous act of love. The fact that you did it in spite of desires to the contrary is huge. Yes, there may have been moments when your displeasure leaked out as a negative attitude, but don’t lose sight of the days on end when you served sacrificially. Yes, you may have felt the need to ask God for forgiveness for those days, but listen for his words back to you–his words of compassion because he knows our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15) and he understands you did what you could (Mark 14:8).
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So much grace in your words, Nancy. Much appreciated—and isn’t it just glorious to be fully known, loved, and forgiven by our Maker?!
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Michele, this resonated with me today. We’re both writing of a similar sort this week. I too wrote about God’s incomprehensible love for us.
Visiting today from Anita’s
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Yes, I picked up on our common voice!
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Michele, this post resonated. Just last week the Lord brought me to reading Scriptures which stated, “Make every effort to live in peace.” “Make every effort to add to your faith ….” “Make every effort to maintain the unity.” Your post brought these Scriptures back to mind, which by the way, have been very convicting. Your post also made me realize what is important to the Lord is that “we make every effort.” Maybe our feelings are not as important to Him as we may think. Maybe the question is: Did we make every effort?
I so appreciate you!
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I appreciate you, too, Joanne, and am grateful for the connections we make as grandmothers, as women who are chasing after holiness. Making every effort comes so much easier with a traveling companion!
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