John 15:12-14
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.“
Oftentimes, when we read these verses of Scripture, we think about our friends and how much we love them. We think about whether or not we would be willing to die for them. Yes, laying down your life for your friend might include actually dying to protect them, but more often than not, we are asked to do something much smaller and much harder. It’s easy to think about what we would do in life or death scenarios. One of the reasons it’s easier is because we hardly ever find ourselves in life or death scenarios. That makes it easier to daydream about what kind of hero we would be. No one really knows what kind of heroic act they will perform until they come face to face with the need for a heroic act, and there are many people who have performed heroic acts, including dying for others, for complete and total strangers.
I think the harder thing here is when something happens in our relationships that causes us to die to ourselves. In the every day trials and tribulations that we all go through, are we will to lay down our life–are we willing to give up our own plans for our day, our own dreams for our lives, our own needs and wants and desires–for someone else who needs us? Are we willing to lay down our every day conveniences for our friend? Are we willing to put things on the line that aren’t quite life or death but are important to us? Will we get up at 3 am to counsel a friend who needs us, knowing that we have to be up early for work in the morning? Will we walk with a friend through the ups and downs of chemotherapy?
Will we give up our need to be “right” in an argument just to keep that relationship alive? Are we willing to go without some of our needs being met out of love for someone else so that their needs can be met? That’s what Jesus would do. It’s what Jesus did, time and time again with His disciples and followers, long before He went to the cross. Jesus walked long miles to preach the gospel. He had no real home or place to sleep. He was often inconvenienced, but He was always moved with compassion for the people around Him. Ultimately, Jesus laid down His actual life for us, and He tells us that we are His friends–the ones He gave His life for–if we do what He commands. And what does He command? He commands us to love the way that He did. Every day. In the big things and in the little things. He commands us to love.
Jesus, I thank you that you were willing to give up your physical needs and desires just to make sure that I had the chance to hear the good news about why you came to earth. I thank you that no inconvenience was too big and none was too small for you to go out of your way to demonstrate your love for each and every one of us. I want to be considered your friend, Jesus. I want my life to reflect you. Help me to love well, not just in big things but in the small everyday things. Help me to learn how to lay down my everyday life for my friends, just the way you did. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A Beautiful Mess 