“It’s not easy being green,” laments one of the great philosophers of the 20th century, Kermit the Frog. For the sake of this post, I’ll change the quote slightly, “It’s not easy being lovable.”
Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Jn 15:12,13. He is also quoted: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Mt. 5:43-45.
Clearly, if I disagree with you about something, depending on your family rules, you might think I am being argumentative. If your family doesn’t ever argue, then that might not seem loving. If I am not loving, then it is pretty hard to love me. Here’s a solution, just tell me that you don’t want to “fellowship” with me and by doing so, ask me to leave. But wait a minute, Jesus seems to say, when there are those who are not easy to love, love them anyway.
In the life of the church, it seems we get stuck on the easy ones. Don’t commit adultery. There’s an easy one. Anyone can see that this is clearly a sin. A man living with a woman without the benefit of a marriage ceremony. It’s a little less clear when young people are just exploring their relationships with one another, and they are “dating.” Hormones run wild in the teenage years. Are adulterous thoughts as sinful as adulterous deeds? Jesus preached that, didn’t he? It’s a little harder to judge another’s thoughts. Luckily, though we usually have an example of a person in our circle, who is clearly, defiantly sinning, an easy case to condemn. Oh, wait a minute, I used the words judgment and condemnation, can you engage in those actions in a loving way?
What about this one? Someone begins to attend a home group connected to your church and then your church services. But they don’t hold back when they disagree with you. Can you love them, anyway? Church membership in most organizations requires something similar to the following: “I WILL PROTECT THE UNITY OF MY CHURCH…By acting in love toward other members…By refusing to gossip…By following the leaders.” (Saddleback Membership Covenant) Where a congregation doesn’t have formal written covenants, there are unwritten rules: Submit to the leadership of the pastors, attend church services, tithe, find a job to do in the church, and clearly that includes, be lovable.
If you are lovable we will adopt you into our family until you are not, then we will un-adopt you. It’s a good thing that the rules of our society do not allow us to operate our families that way. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of lousy parenting in our society. But at least, it isn’t easy for fathers and mothers to legally disown their children, adopted or natural born!
But here is an interesting truth: I can’t make you love me. For that matter, God can’t make you love me. The impulse to love, is in itself, a gift from God. So, here is my morning prayer: Father, fill me with your love. Overflow my cup. Let me be an ambassador of your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Charlie Wear's Notes 
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