Reckless Love

Last March I made the commitment to start reading my Bible daily. I have had at least a thousand false starts in this area over the years. I love to read and I definitely want to grow closer to God, but I’ve never been successful at developing the daily habit. Some of my friends introduced me to the Bible app and invited me to join their one year Discipleship Journal Reading Plan. It was fantastic to have others who could hold me accountable for my daily time in the word but the best thing I found was the audio version that the app offered. After about a month I found myself getting into the routine of listening to my Bible while I got ready in the morning and have been doing just that every day since. (Side note- I just changed it to the NLT version and the guy reading is INCREDIBLY engaging to listen to!)

I cannot begin to tell you the ways in which reading my Bible daily has impacted my life over the course of the past 9 months. It has brought me in closer relationship with God but also with others. I have learned how to be more patient, intentional, and become a better listener. But most of all I think it has brought me closer to the reckless love and ridiculous grace that I strive to have for others as God has for me.

In education, I find that the majority of us have an uncanny capacity for reckless love. Of course we do! How else do we spend our lives in the pursuit of loving and educating other people’s children? It’s the ability to love recklessly that allows us to pour our hearts into every child who walks through our door. We know very well that we will run across disappointment, joy, sadness, triumph, and tragedy along the way but we dare to love these little ones through it all.

For me, the part that still needs work is having ridiculous grace. God’s grace is free and undeserved (Romans 11:6) and my goal is that I would be able to show grace to others as God has done for me hundreds, maybe millions of times in my life. I did nothing to earn it and didn’t deserve it, but it was given anyway. Boy is that different than the way that the world tells us to deal with others! There have been many times this year when I didn’t want to show others grace but did and many other times when I should have but didn’t. I have found that I am more likely to lack grace for others and even for myself when I’m feeling like I’m crunched for time, when I am stressed or worried, and when I react too quickly to a problem or situation.

Knowing my own triggers has helped me to stop myself short and take a different route. However, I was surprised to find that my most difficult hurdle has been finding a way to respond to friends who don’t see why I would forgive the unforgivable or show kindness when none was given. I have run across many instances when talking with friends about a problem or concern and their advice was decidedly not to give the other person grace. At first I was upset that I would have to battle my friend’s advice AND show grace to both of them now! But in the end, I found that God was just growing me in my relationships with others. He was providing me with an opportunity to not only show someone grace, but also to share with my friends the good news that giving this ridiculous grace that God has shown us is worth the time and effort.

As we go back to school tomorrow after winter break, I pray that God will continue to guide me along my journey. I know that I will never be perfect but I know that I can and always will be able to do better!