Matt. 22: 37-40 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
This story below happened not long ago to a friend of mine. In her words:
"Something happened in church yesterday that really shook my world. I'm reasonably certain it was meant just for me, but now it has me wondering what to do next.
Here's what happened: Our "regular" pew was full, so we circled around and sat on the far right half way back which is the first "God thing" that happened. After the first couple of songs, a young pregnant girl with 2 little babies, one holding her hand and the other on her hip came in looking for a seat. She went to the empty pew in front of us and tapped the lady on the shoulder so that she and her babies could slip into that spot. The lady shook her head "no" and indicated that she was saving that spot for someone else. The girl smiled, turned around and walked out of the auditorium with her babies in tow. I looked over at Dusty and whispered "I'm giving her our seat, get up!" I ran out into the foyer and told her to come back and take our pew, PLEASE! The look in her eyes said everything I knew she was feeling because I have been that girl. My efforts were too little, too late. She said "No, thank you. I'll find somewhere else...maybe the balcony." I saw the tears in her eyes. I went and sat down and could think of nothing else during the rest of the service.
This morning, I'm thinking about other things that have transpired in my life this week, which of course are not accidental or coincidental, and I'm wondering, "Why do we PLAY church?" I don't want to be a paper-doll Christian and I'm looking for some answers. I cannot believe I sat there and let that happen right in front of me. God is shaking me by the shoulders and telling me I'm too comfortable."
Please pray for me as I listen and change.I don't think that the lady was being mean or unfeeling on purpose. I am sure she just was not thinking about anything but who she was saving the seat for. As my friend said above we are just too comfortable. God asks us to love Him above all else with our hearts and souls and minds. He then says we are to love other people just as much as we love ourselves. The problem is, we think about ourselves all of the time instead of thinking of other people. Everything we do is for our own comfort. Loving is hard and can be messy and time consuming. We can't be paper doll Christians. We are called to actually get into peoples lives and out of our comfort zones.
I ask myself, "How can I have the mind of Christ and the eyes of God so that I will not miss opportunities to love other people that He is putting right under my nose?" The first thing that comes to mind if I am trying to have the mind of Christ is that I have to stay in His Word. I must lay it on my heart so that my first reaction is not a selfish one but a prompting from God. I don't want to pass on to my children how to live a comfortable, self seeking life but how to live a life expecting and being excited about who God is going to let us touch for Him everyday. I want to wake up thinking with a spiritual mind and seeing with God's eyes and having the mindset of Christ.
Father God, please help us to love other people MORE than we love ourselves. Help us to see with Your eyes and to lay Your Word on our hearts so that we can respond in everyday happenings with Your heart in our actions and words. Help us not to save seats to the hurt of other people and help us not to be paper doll Christians but to be alive and loving and seeking to serve those that need Your love. Help us to be so full of Your word and love that we cannot keep it from flowing out of our mouths and our actions and please keep WAKING us up to ways we can love better for You. In Jesus name, amen.
Amy Walker
Nacodoches, Texas
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