Agape

On the way home tonight I was listening to Adventures in Odyssey at Praise FM (at least the last little bit of it). (http://www.whitsend.org/). It was an interesting episode. One girl was mad at her classmate because he somehow screwed up their Science project... she was complaining to an older guy (uncle? teacher?) that he was always a burden--and she was sick of helping him in his homework, etc. etc. However, her perception completely changed when the older man told her that this classmate of hers actually has a reading disability Dyslexia. Now Her heart was filled instead with compassion and sympathy.... No more impatience but "Oh no" "I ought to help him more!"

I have to admit--this is a typical mentality of a person today. We have to have a reason to go out of our way to help someone. Sometimes something has to be wrong for us to convince ourselves that the people in need are actually "deserving" of our help. In an average human vocabulary, the word unconditional love almost does not exist (I am for one 100% guilty of this!!) Acts of selfless help for other people oftentimes are regarded as stupidity.

What did Paul say about love?

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,
but have not love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy
and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains,
but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor
and surrender my body to the flames,
but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy,
it does not boast,
it is not proud.
It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
(1 Corinthians 13:1-7)

Talk is cheap. It is easy to say that I (will) love all who are around me. How much practice and discipline and will it take for us to change our attitude toward people? But even when God sets the definition of love as such a high one, shouldn't we still strive to do it? No wonder the Bible always says that we cannot change ourselves--but that we need help and power from the Holy Spirit!