If We With Ink the Ocean Fill

Sometimes, you can talk to people, but never really with people. 

Today, I was conversing with someone who came into my workplace that I see on a fairly regular basis. Last time I talked with him, he had given me some advice on HDMI cables, and today he was asking me if I had followed up on it (which I still need to). Well, in the course of our conversation, he mentioned his children, and I asked him how many kids he had. He told me about his three children, two of whom were six-month-old twin boys. One of the brothers had been born with a rare form of dwarfism that had resulted from a genetic mutation. He is still in the hospital because his trachea did not form correctly, and he still cannot breathe on his own.

It made me realize that we can think that we know people or have a read on them, and not have a clue about what is going on in their lives. How can we pass judgment on others when we cannot see into their homes or their hearts? John 15:12 says, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." We are commanded to love people even when they don't seem lovable...and even when we don't feel very loving. We are commanded to love with the love of Christ:  "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). 

Lay down his life. What does that mean? I think, in some cases, we might be called to physically lay down our life for someone--a husband, a wife, a child, or even a stranger. But since that doesn't seem to be required from most of us, how can this still be applied to our lives? We can lay down our pride. We can lay down our rights. We can lay down our desires.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! 

I know that this passage from Philippians is kind of known as "the humility chapter", and many of you might say, "Yeah, yeah, I've heard this before...." But I know that I will never have it down. I can always be more loving, more unselfish, and a better reflection of Christ. And I need to pray that God would open my eyes to those who need His love and that I can learn to love like Christ.