My Jesus Journal

Being 'Especially Fond'

"Live Like That" by Sidewalk Prophets

Sometimes I think

What will people say of me

When I'm only just a memory

When I'm home where my soul belongs

Was I love

When no one else would show up

Was I Jesus to the least of us

Was my worship more than just a song

I want to live like that

And give it all I have

So that everything I say and do

Points to You

If love is who I am

Then this is where I'll stand

Recklessly abandoned

Never holding back

I want to live like that

I want to live like that

Am I proof

That You are who you say You are

That grace can really change a heart

Do I live like Your love is true

People pass

And even if they don't know my name

Is there evidence that I've been changed

When they see me, do they see You

I want to show the world the love You gave for me

I'm longing for the world to know the glory of the King

I went to go see the movie "The Shack" the other day, and it ended up being a lot better than I had expected. Some parts of the movie really stuck out to me, and one of them inspired this journal entry.

Throughout the movie, Papa talked about how she was 'especially fond' of certain people. At one point, Mack asks her if she's especially fond of everyone. Papa replies by saying that yes, she is especially fond of everyone. Mack then asks if there's anyone that she's not especially fond of, which she responds by saying no. Papa tells Mack that that's just not the way she is. She explained that she gets upset with people sometimes, but she loves the ones she's upset with just as the ones that she's not upset with.

This was something that immediately stuck in my heart and my head. This is something that I want to live by. I am aware that "The Shack" is not the bible, and that it is fiction, but I still think that there are messages that we can take out of fiction. The fact that God loves us like that is NOT fictional.

John 8:7 tells us "When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

A little bit of background on this: Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives. Once here the scribes and Pharisees bring in a woman who has committed adultery. They set her in front of Jesus, tell him that she is to be stoned, and ask him what he thinks about stoning her. They are looking to put him in the wrong for whatever answer he may give them. They continue to ask Jesus for his answer, when finally Jesus tells them that whichever one of them is not a sinner, that is the one that can throw the first stone at her. The people begin to disperse, until it is just Jesus and this woman. Jesus then tells her that he will not condemn her, and that she is to go and sin no more.

The truth is that we're all sinners. My sin is equal to those around me; to 'throw a stone' at other people because they sin differently than I do makes me a hypocrite. As Christians, we are meant to spread love to everyone. We aren't supposed to love the sin, but we are supposed to love the sinner. It is not our job to judge the people around us for the lifestyle that they are living, it is our job to show God's love.

1 Corinthians 13:4,5 says that "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

This verse is something that we should live by. We may be the only source of love that someone gets in their day, week, month, or lifetime. We should be slow to anger, and quick to spread the love that God shows us every day. We are called to live like Christ. We are meant to worship God in every area of our lives. Spreading love is one way to live like Christ, and worship God. The way that we treat other people reflects on the relationship that we have with God. What we are saying and doing should point directly to God.

When we sin and ask for forgiveness, what does God do? He forgives us! God loves us despite ALL of our sins and our flaws! That is the way that we should live.

I know that sometimes it is hard to be patient and that sometimes people/things get on your nerves...but you need to show the world the love that God shows you every day. Be a source of love to everyone. Let all of your actions point to God. The love that you show to someone can be the reason that they stop living the way they are; it can be the reason that they decide to follow Christ.

I encourage you to be 'especially fond' of everyone you come across.