True Love Doesn't Just Wait...

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16 (NIV)

True love is something we women all dream about from the very earliest days when we hear of the princess in the tower awaiting the kiss that will set her free; free from loneliness, from the dragon and from death. Always, the concept of true love is something we wait for, whether we wait in a physical tower made of stone or an invisible one made from the troubles of life, we wait for Prince Charming to sweep in & slay the dragon…and set us free. Always we wait. We wait. Wait.

But our True Love doesn’t just wait. He prepares, He proceeds, He provides and He produces. “God showed His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us.”Romans 5:8. True Love is always working toward that goal, setting free the trapped object of His desire. He saw His children in need and He prepared the Way by proceeding to the Cross, providing the Sacrifice and producing a harvest of eternal life for all.

Just like the people of Israel waited for their valiant Messiah to ride in and slay the Roman dragon that kept them enslaved, modern Christians wait for Jesus’ glorious return to slay THE Dragon which causes each of us to stumble, fall and at times to be trampled by our own misplaced longings, unshakeable addictions and unfettered desires. But as the children of God wait, Love is working, always working, on our behalf. Always preparing our way, proceeding to the “great and mighty Day of the Lord” when the Dragon will finally & forever be defeated, providing all our needs according to His riches and producing in us that perfection He promised when we first accepted the call.

So what should we ‘do’ while we wait on the Lord? We are to “live in love”. Not a mushy, feelings-based kind of love, but a serious, action-based kind of love.

Are we offering up our lives daily as living sacrifices? Do we put the needs of others before our own or even before our ‘wants’? How many times do you (or I) say, “I’m tired/busy, I think I’ll call so-and-so tomorrow to check on her.” But that phone call never gets made nor the letter written nor the email sent nor the meal prepared nor the whatever, done…because we just don’t ‘feel’ like it? How many fellow soldiers do we let lie on the battlefield suffering alone because we just need to check facebook one more time? How many times have you been the one struggling alone in your fray and wishing for just one person to step in, stand in that gap for you & shield you from the arrows of the enemy long enough that you can catch your breath, but it was Tuesday night so you knew everyone would be watching [insert random television show here] so you didn’t bother to call, text, message or scream for help?

Our comfort is not the reason Christ died and it is not the thing we should be waiting for Him to produce. Our holiness is most important to God. And not only ours, but our neighbor’s too. The love we share with our fellow folks, who are all made in the image of God, is the offering we make to God, especially the inconvenient love – the kind that costs us something. We should never let a day go by where we don’t have some kind of love offering to present before the Lord.

So I challenge you this night, love somebody. DO something that you don’t ‘want’ to do but know you ‘should’. Turn off the tv, shut down the computer and love your family, your friends, your neighbors. PRAY for your sisters in Christ and for those people that don’t know your True Love…then show Him to them.

You are blessed to be a blessing, not a brat. Don’t just wait, DO something.

© 2010 Mary Hughes Walker. All Rights Reserved.