"Greater love has no man than this - that he should lay down his life for his friends." That's one of my all time favorite quotes. It helps that it's from scripture too :)
Today I had the chance to hear someone far wiser than I am talk about that quote. See, it was really easy for me to take it out of context. It's a bible verse, of course it's meant to stand alone, right? But if I had taken the time to think about where Jesus was when He said it, wow, there's so much more to it.
See, I had just looked at it as talking about the ultimate sacrifice. Laying down my life in one big, dramatic action was the greatest love I could ever have.
But Jesus told His disciples that right after He humbled himself and washed their feet. Yes, He knew He was going to die but His disciples were a little slow on the uptake. And I don't think Jesus just meant for them to think about greater love after the fact. In that moment that He said "greater love..." I think He wanted them thinking about greater love and what it meant to lay down their life.
Laying down our lives means that we accept inconvenience for the sake of someone else. It means that we look for chances to serve even when it hurts. It means that we don't stop serving when we feel like it's too hard.
Why? Because loving others is the most tangible way to show that we love God. And loving God is the only way we stay in the Vine, the only way we stay alive.
The only way I live is by laying down my life.
The big, "I die" sacrifice works...but laying down my life is also a day to day, hour to hour, moment to moment decision. Will I lay down my life today for my little brother? Will I lay down my life today for the stranger entering the grocery store behind me? Will I lay down my life today for the woman I love? Will I lay down my life today for my roommate?
Loving others means letting go of me. It means purposefully, consciously setting aside my selfishness and focusing on what others' need. Letting go hurts. But love embraces that hurt because love knows that the pain reminds me this is not my home.
I want to end by sharing some examples of love that I've seen that challenge me. And if you know me, next time you see me...ask me how I've laid down my life that day.
There's a couple in my church with a mentality handicapped daughter. Their daughter struggles to communicate even though she's fully aware of everything going on. She can hardly walk and has to have help standing. Every Sunday though, they're standing while we're singing - dad on one side, mom on the other, and the daughter singing between her parents.
Today was a rough morning and one of my friends drove at least a mile (or more) out of their way to buy me Starbucks today. No prompting other than the Holy Spirit. And they bought me a Venti too.
A good friend of mine is just over eight years younger than I am. Sure there are moments when the age gap really shows but today he worked with me side by side and quietly accepted my instruction on how to do the work without complaining. And I was far less patient than I should have been.
One of the busiest people I know is taking time out of their hectic (and trust me, it's crazy hectic) work schedule to volunteer at a wedding for someone they hardly know. Both for rehearsal and the actual wedding.