What the World Needs Now...

LOVE--
.......LOVE--
..............LOVE--

Love has been a popular topic for years. It seems to grow more popular as the world gets uglier, holding center stage even in American politics.

The social liberals claim ownership of it and point to their peace marches and protests, as though shouted reminders to "Save the Whales" and "End Poverty Now" were giant steps to fulfilling those goals.

Social conservatives bristle at the accusations that their policies are unloving and point to their soup kitchens and orphanages as proof. They kiss a few babies, write a few checks, and stick their tongues out at the radicals.

"See?" everyone claims. "See how loving we are? See how much we do for the less fortunate? We're the true humanitarians, the true followers of Jesus, because we LOVE everyone."

OK. Let's cut through the crap and be real for a minute.

None of us are all that loving. No, seriously. We're not. We love ourselves. We love admiration. We even love the warm feeling that comes from helping someone else. We love feeling a part of something bigger, feeling that our lives matter, knowing that our benevolence puts us a couple of steps ahead of the self-absorbed materialist.

Even during those rare selfless moments when we would throw ourselves in front of a moving train for a total stranger, even when we are most impressed with our selflessness, we are aware that this exalted attitude may not come again anytime soon.

The bottom line is that we are all self-centered to the core. Even our benevolence has a selfish ring to it. Somewhere underneath our apparent generosity lies a me-first mentality that easily masquerades as self-abasement.

When I am asked why I spend hours upon hours pouring my life and my time into people who are not necessarily thankful for my effort, the questioner often assumes it is because I love people.

They are wrong. I do not love people.

And even if I did, my selfish efforts to love them would fall flat and wear out because, frankly, sometimes people are not lovable. And frankly, many times I am not lovable. If I had to rely upon my inherent love for people in order to continue counseling them, I would have burned out long ago. Probably would've stopped after my first walk-out. Or maybe after the first client cussed me out.

I am convinced that when we focus on our own ability--or lack of it--to love others, we will remain dismally discouraged. Or fake it.

I don't spend 20-30 unpaid hours a week on people who can never do anything for me because I love them so much. I do it because I love God so much. And he loves them. And he has asked me to and I cannot do enough for him.

I'm not legalistically working to earn his favor, hoping to impress him, or trying to balance out my failings. That would put me back in the selfishness camp. I'm passionately in love with God and want to bring him pleasure. Period. That alone is the only basis upon which we can serve selflessly without burnout.

That is why Scripture urges us to "keep our eyes on Jesus, the author of our faith." (Heb. 12:2) When we rely on our efforts to right the world's wrongs, our efforts are a house of cards. One stiff blow knocks us flat. Discouraged. Disillusioned, we quit, angrier than we started.

Human love can only go so far. The world is crying for more than that. The beggar's stomach is now full, but what about his heart? Does he have purpose in life? Meaning for his existence? The cripple may be warm, but is his heart still cold? Maybe we prolonged someone's earthly life, but did we offer them eternal life?

When Jesus fed, healed, consoled, and raised the dead, it was always for a greater purpose. Some teach that he only came to right the world's wrongs, but they're not looking closely enough. Every act of benevolence was a building block upon which he stood to proclaim the greater message:

God wants a relationship with you.
I'm here to tell you how to find it.

We may make a lot of noise, but our offers of help usually come with a self-centered agenda. Unless we focus on the worthiness of God and serve the people he loves because we love him, our attempts tend to take on a militant, self-righteous tinge.

Trying to love the world in our own strength, without offering that greater message, is not love at all.

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