Greater love has no one than this that someone lay down his life for his friends. [John 15v13]
As a parent of five young kids (our oldest was just 7 when we had the fifth), I often hear, “I don’t know how you do it! I couldn’t handle that many.” And the truth is, I can’t handle that many either.
Truthfully, one child is more than I can handle. Marriage, trying to live with and love someone else, is more than I can handle. In my heart, I like to control my own time and meet my own needs for comfort and rest.
However, I know that we are not called to build our lives around what is comfortable for ourselves. We are called to serve Others.
The great commandment isn’t a suggestion. God expects us to respond to the Good News that He laid down His life for us, by being willing to lay down our lives for the sake of Others.
One of the ways I remind myself of this is by capitalizing “Others” in my writing. This subtle change helps me to remember to treat Others with priority and dignity that is beyond my level of comfort or natural ability.
In what ways can you give priority and dignity to Others around you today? Does this idea of focusing on Others challenge you to reach for more of God’s presence and power in your life?
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