So many people view their relationships as conditional ones..
Maybe that's why they sometimes don't work very well.
Now I know that we can't hold people to a unrealistic standard of unconditional love by their own power, but I think we do need to learn to live in the tension between believing the best in someone and knowing the evil humans are capable of. We don't deny fallen man, but we must believe that we all have an inherent good and are all possible of divine transformation.
When we don't believe that people have the possibility of good, we set them up for failure; in doing so we also set ourselves up for failure. By not believing the best in people we don't give them our best. We set ourselves up for failure because when we don't see the potential for good in someone we forget Who's image they're created in. We judge based on their fallenness, not the perfectly capable transforming grace of God.
When it comes to man's potential of greater living, there is something different inside the redeemed. All people are capable of good despite the fact that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and this because we are all created in the image of the Creator. All He is is good, so everyone is capable of good. The difference for the redeemed is that our weakness, which is conditional loving, is able to be infused with the unconditional love of Christ. So we as followers of Christ are capable of a higher and deeper and greater love than those without Jesus. Like I said before, no one is capable of loving unconditionally on their own, but we as the redeemed aren't alone. And as we recognize our imperfect love and admit our need for something greater, we give Christ the space to fill us with His love to transform the world around us.
We are conditional in our relationships because we are not perfect, but we are also called to strive with every ounce of our being to be unconditional in our loving.
So despite knowing we are weak on our own..
May we not hold back the unconditional love that we are capable of with the help of Christ in us.
May we go out of our way this week to put others above ourselves.
May we look to Him for strength and for Him to pour into us His perfect love.
May we outdo each other in showing honor.
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." - Romans 12:9-10
1 comment:
So many people view their relationships as conditional ones..
Maybe that's why they sometimes don't work very well.
I like that statement. I know it is only your opinion and your view but I find it completely opposite for people I know and for me. The relationships I have viewed as unconditional are the ones that have quite on me like I mentioned in my last comment. If I keep in mind it is all conditional they are some of the best ones I could have.
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