It's pretty easy these days to see what people are all about. Each of us have endless opportunities to make ourselves known in this hyper-connected society. Social media is probably the largest form of self-expression, followed by what we wear, what we do for a living, and what we drive. Simply spending 10 minutes reading someone's Facebook page can give you a glimpse into their world.
Zooming out a few notches, I wonder what the world thinks about Christians. From what I can tell, the world isn't usually a fan of Jesus. He's often seen as unloving, irrelevant, or nonexistent. In John 13, Jesus knows his life on earth will be ending soon so he's preparing his disciples for their next season of ministry. In verses 34-35 He says, "In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples, when they see the love you have for each other." I'm not convinced that our world today sees the love we have for each other.
One of the things I want the world to know is that Jesus IS loving. Not just the surface kind of love that's polite or courteousI'm talking about an incredibly intense, deep kind of love. An unconditional love that sees my brokenness and accepts me anyway. A powerful love that wrecks me and rebuilds me. A compassion so extreme that it propelled Jesus to feed 5,000 people in order to share the good news with them. A freeing love that allowed an adulterous woman to leave her life of sin and escape condemnation. This type of deep love is also described in the Bible as affection, compassion, mercy, and kindness.
What am I telling the world about me? About Jesus? Can they see through my life that God's love is available for them? That His love changes people? Do they know He wants so much more for each of us than what we settle for? I want to be marked by His love.
