What does love look like?
It has the hands to help others.
It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy.
It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.
That is what love looks like.
ST. AUGUSTINE
Henri Nouwen, in his book ¡Gracias! said this:
It is a privilege to have the time to practice this single ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevents me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.
What does that look like?
Here’s just one day (this past Fall) of traveling with Jesus: In late September, I was with a young man who has inoperable cancer. He has a beautiful wife and two gorgeous little children. But he’s come so far with Jesus. It was a time of inspiration and empowerment to see the beauty of Christ in his life. There was no fear of uncertainty but only resolve that “God’s got this!”
He reached out to me later to say, “Our time together was a breath of fresh air.” Earlier that same morning I received word that a young man I’m involved with lost his wife the night before. It
was completely unexpected. He has three young children. He sent me a note that said, “my baby daughter is going to wake in a few minutes, and I don’t know how to tell her that her mommy’s not coming home.” As he processes and grieves this unimaginable loss, he still proclaims that “Jesus reigns!” So, I spent a lot of time that day speaking into the lives of the people that are surrounding him right now. And later that day I spent time with a gentleman who buried his son a couple of years ago. The day before ALL of this, I was with a new friend who shared that his eight-year-old daughter has leukemia. She wants to be a missionary. When we finished, I looked at him, and I said I have spent the last hour of our conversation trying not to break down. He said he was told by the doctor the type of leukemia she has is the kind that you would hope for. A 97% cure rate. But even walking the path that has 3% failure rate is a difficult journey.
The path of suffering is hard, and the answers are not immediately accessible and it’s difficult to smile in the face of suffering. In each of these cases, I could see their smile. I am in awe….
Could I fix them? No, but I could be with them. Sometimes just showing up is enough in that moment.
A THOUGHT:
I believe that what I do is Holy Spirit driven, and I believe it has global implication. I also believe that much of it cannot be expressed “out loud” because of its sensitivity. But I also believe discipleship is the key to equipping the church. I have been doing that ALL my life and those are the stories that sometimes get lost, but they are beautiful.
WHAT DOES LOVE LOOK LIKE?
The trip to Burma had its difficulties. Forty plus hours on airplanes. Very little sleep just to be with them. “Them?” People unknown to most, but who I will never forget; I will certainly never forget to tell their stories.
Usually, we will fly in and fly out leaving little footprint. We will get the product (money and Bibles) in and leave. This time, we were asked to stay, to hear their voices, and to hug them. Alot. And in all this, to let them know they are loved. Here is what they told us:
“We suffer much in the name of Jesus but have Baptized 10 new believers. I am the only believer in my family.”
An Elderly pastor: “We have five Mosques that surround my church… but now there are 100 churches.”
They are teaching the orphaned children English, giving them an education, and longing for them to return to the land where they were born, rejected and orphaned to propagate the Gospel of Jesus by showing them that His love and forgiveness are real.
The eldest son in a family born to an elder on a Saturday is “Satan” (Burmese). So, one woman took one of these children to an orphanage to raise.
In the face of such hardship, the faith and love we encountered is so tangible. The pastor with cancer, who developed an alphabet so the Gospel could be read – and spread, is in dire need of medication. We were able to provide the finances for this to begin. His tears as he told of his salvation were humbling. His wife told us that he has never known a day that Jesus was not precious to him. It was such a sweet moment.
“Though we suffer, we are faithful. Our people need the Bible.” We were told, “You are like the Angel from the Lord to us…” Even as Pastor DD says,“These are the darkest of days.”
This is what Love looks like.
