22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
The one place on the planet people ought to be loved is in the Church. We are to reflect the love the Lord has shown us, and show that love to others. I think the real problem lies in the fact that so many people have not truly come to grips with God’s love for them. They have a head knowledge of this fact, but it has not filtered down into the fiber of their being. They have not allowed it to sink into their hearts, their emotions, their pasts, their hurts, or their present struggles. They are fine with a quick, broad brushing of God’s love, enough to take away the bad feelings for a few moments, but they are afraid to really let God’s love penetrate them. It can be scary to let down the guard. If someone has been hurt by someone they thought loved them, it can be very hard to let someone else, even God, love them again. That is where we can either make or break the deal. If we love as Christ loves, then they will see that consistent, unconditional love and want it for themselves. Slowly the walls will drop and God’s love will replace fear with peace. Notice it says we are to love deeply. Our society is about shallow. Facebook is about shallow, self-centered relationships. We post the most mundane details of our lives and expect others to value those trivialities. Rarely do real issues get discussed. Rarely does the relationship formed on Facebook ever transform into deep, abiding care and concern, let alone love. The Lord wants us to experience deep, abiding love that penetrates us to the degree that we want to love others. Fear flees and total acceptance and safety is the order of the day. It is a wonderful place to live. Try it!
The Arnold Journey 