“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – john 13:34-35
a couple nights after my post about the world race gap year, i realized that i never explained why i chose to put “love one another.” on the back of my shirts i’m fundraising with. so, i wanted to write a post about it and to just give you some encouragement today. i pray the Lord speaks to your heart through this and shows you who He is, and what His people should represent.
love is one of, if not the, biggest message of the bible. God sent His son, Jesus, to this earth to be like us, live alongside us, and take our place to die for us and our sin that separated us from God, all because of love. all so we could have the opportunity to live this life with Him, because He loves us that much. His love is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path and shows us what true love is. unconditional, welcoming, never failing, gracious love. and because of His love, we are able to love. it’s all because of Him.
and just for a moment, i want to apologize to those who have been hurt by the church. to those who haven’t seen Gods love shine through those who label themselves as christian. if someone uses hateful towards you because of who you are, what you look like, who you identify as, what your beliefs are, or any other reason, and uses religion to justify that hateful behavior, they do not know what love is, or who Love is. as true christians, we are called to love unconditionally. to be forgiving, to give grace, to welcome those who are pushed aside, to fight for the oppressed, to stand for justice, to make people feel known, seen, valued, and make let them know they matter. because THATS who God is. and of course, we are imperfect and fail a lot of the time because we’re human, but that is who we are called to be, and who we strive to be. so if that’s not what you received from someone claiming they are christian, that was not God speaking through them. that was a human that does not know Love. He is love. with Him, there is no room for hate.
so back to the tshirts. love one another. the bible verse God had placed on my heart right when He first was heavily leading me towards the race. He calls us to love like He does, so that those people are ultimately able to receive God’s love. we are able to love because He loved us first. i love loving people because it’s able to be a gateway to show God’s love and let Him be seen through me. so when God was leading me to the race, and really putting love on my heart, it made me truly realize that love is what it’s all about. that we are here to love so that through us, people are able to be met with His everlasting, unconditional love. we are here to be a representation of who He is, and what He stands for, so that those hurt, broken, and thrown aside by the church are able to come to know who He truly is. so loving one another is what i’ll be doing for 9 months next year. it’s what i strive to do every day. to love one another so that they can see God’s love through me, and that i can be a representation of His truth and who He is. that it’s not about me, but for them to see that i am only able to love because He loves us.
love always,
Ava 🙂
