Jim Pace

necessary preparation for Christmas…

December 17, 2009 | 2 Comments

we are coming up on the day we celebrate one of the greatest acts of love ever shown to humanity.  God came back for us.  as we prepare for that day, reflecting on the type of love we demonstrate to those around us seems fitting.

especially as we prepare to be around more family than usual (or family for longer than usual) reflecting on how our love can more fully reflect the love of God for us, seems useful.  so.. let’s go to one of the best descriptions i have come across.  if you have ever been to a wedding where christian scripture is read… you have heard this… get ready…

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2 If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. 3 If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. 4 Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, 5 Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, 6 Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 7 Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.  1 corinthians 13.1-7 the message

a great deconstructed approach to what God’s love looks like, and how we are called to love one another.  in this talk at [nlcf] i describe both that scripture and some from 1 john and show how they give us different views of the same type of love.  as i go through the 1 corinthians section above, i usually make it about to mid-verse one before i realize the way i love is just not the way i am loved by God.

but if we are talking about family and love, forgiveness cannot be far behind.  the reality is that family can often make us crazy.  do crazy things, say crazy things, think crazy things.  i am certain that tracy and i are regularly doing things that will send our kids careening into therapy!

as i was on the blog of a friend, noel heikkinen, i saw this excerpt from a book by ray pritchard entitled, “the healing power of forgiveness“.  i haven’t read it but trust noel’s take on it.  the excerpt deals with what forgiveness is not.  here it is, hope it helps.  thanks noel.

Forgiveness does not mean approving of what someone else did.
Forgiveness does not mean pretending that evil never took place.
Forgiveness does not mean making excuses for other people’s bad behavior.
Forgiveness does not mean justifying evil so that sin somehow becomes less sinful.
Forgiveness does not mean overlooking abuse.
Forgiveness does not mean denying that others tried to hurt you repeatedly.
Forgiveness does not mean letting others walk all over you.
Forgiveness does not mean refusing to press charges when a crime has been committed.
Forgiveness does not mean forgetting the wrong that was done.
Forgiveness does not mean pretending you were never hurt.
Forgiveness does not mean you must become friends again.
Forgiveness does not mean there must be a total reconciliation as if nothing ever happened.
Forgiveness does not mean that you must tell the person you have forgiven them.
Forgiveness does not mean that all negative consequences of sin are cancelled.

if none of that works, just go to here and revel in the fact that you aren’t the only one with some crazy family 🙂

Categories: General