Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Genuine





"Let love be genuine.
Abhor what is evil;
hold fast to what is good."

Romans 12: 9


I am privileged to have several women in my life that I consider to be mothers in the faith. They have become so precious to me; they are sources of refinement and refreshment through their example and words of counsel. As I have matured, I have become increasingly aware of my need to be mothered and schooled in the way of life. With my own accumulation of life experience and maturity, I feel a greater need for intentional relationship with other women.

And in God's kindness, he has seen fit to provide me with such godly saints. They are sources of direction and encouragement through their words, prayers, and support. Their love for the Lord and their skillful employment of scripture in the circumstances of my life have been life-giving impetus to grow in my faith, to be deeply rooted in my knowledge of God, and to persist in the face of weariness.

The desert lands of life are opportunities to grasp the reality that our life-source is Christ himself. Do I really believe he is the only source of living water, that my faith is rooted and grounded in him alone? What we see here in this present chapter of our existence is not always a true reflection of what God is doing in his grander story.

As I have encountered some difficulties, I've had some good conversations on the topic of godly love. I've needed my mentors' help processing some situations; I've needed guidance in the practical display of love when situations and people are not as they appear on the surface, and advice to discern when love graciously covers and when it boldly reveals.

One of my counselors encouraged me to meditate on Romans 12 (starting in verse 9 to the end) and to use it as a guide for prayer. It begins:

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good."

So much to think on right there. So much.



"Let love be genuine." So then, obviously, not all love is genuine. There is a type of pseudo-love, a fake love that masquerades as sincere, a kind of love that is self-serving and pretends affection for personal gain or gratification at the expense of another. This is not love.

How do we respond to that? We abhor it. This kind of "love" is evil.

Have you ever been the recipient of this kind of disingenuous love? Likely yes. The spectrum runs from flattery all the way to overt emotional or spiritual manipulation or abuse under the guise of love, and we have all been subject to some degree. It is an evil trickery. I can think of many ways "love" towards me has been disingenuous with empty words, profit from my willingness to serve, selfish demands, manipulative actions, and most of all, deceit.

So I must respond with wisdom, firmness, and... genuine love. Sometimes this requires speaking up, while other situations warrant an inner, personal resolve to be aware and prudent while still striving to love with selflessness. Sometimes, though,  genuine love is to cease enabling someone's sin by limiting or ending a relationship.

And in learning about this aspect of life, I am incredibly indebted to my mature friends!



I am also forced to ask the question: Are there areas of my life where love is not genuine?

Does my affection grow when I get my way, or dwindle when I don't? Is my love for another based on me? I'm certain that the answer is, "Sometimes, yes." My affections are undoubtedly tainted by selfishness.

It's worth thinking deeply about, and taking the time and effort to question motives and practises. How would my husband and children respond to this? Do I even have the courage and humility to ask? They would likely reveal what I refuse to see and admit.

Ultimately, I believe love cannot be genuine if Christ isn't the source and object of our satisfaction and joy. If we are not living for him and for his pleasure, then we are living for ourselves. If the orientation and reason for living isn't God, then it is self. If we look to others to satisfy us and give us purpose, then we will try to carve them into a version that suits our desires. We display disingenuous love in an attempt to make them satisfy us, and this love goes awry even further when they fail to do so.

And they will fail! This is simply because they are not God; they were never intended to deliver what only God can.





"Let love be genuine... hold fast to what is good."

Through Christ, our source and foundation is God alone. Run to him. Hold fast. Cling. Learn from his love and imitate through his empowerment.

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Eph. 3:14-19

And love like he first loved us.


(Images: April road trip stop through Yuma, AZ)


~Katherine

No comments:

Post a Comment

I'd love to hear from you...

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...