Love that Lights the Way
Well, butter my biscuits and call me surprised, friend! Looky here who’s come wanderin’ up this ol’ front porch today. Come on and scoot yourself in over here like you’re steppin’ into a mountain hideaway where the kettle’s plum singin’ and the welcome is downright eager. Grab that ol’ rocker sittin’ by the rail that creaks like an ol’ bullfrog tryin’ to clear its throat after a long night on the pond. And if you catch sight of that cantankerous lil’ beaver fussin’ at a waddlin’ porcupine that keeps hoggin’ the best spot by the creek, or smell that pot of huckleberry jam simmerin’ slow inside, you’ll know you’ve done landed right in a place where your heart can settle in and breathe easy.
Now it is time to settle our minds around a truth that stands firm like a mountain overlook that has watched centuries of sunrise without budgin’. First John 2:9-11 says, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness… anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light.” That there’s sho’-nuff straight talk. And slid right beside it is Proverbs 10:12, which tells us, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.” Those verses fit real good like two acorns fallin’ from the same oak, remindin’ us that love ain’t optional. It’s plum the proof that we belong to Jesus.
Truth is friend, every one of us is still in process. You ain’t a finished product, and neither am I. We’re all learnin’, growin’, stumblin’, and gettin’ back up again. Jonah learned that God works with folks who don’t think alike, act alike, or process alike. And the body of Christ is plum full of people who rub each other the wrong way sometimes, just like a pair of stubborn ol’ goats tryin’ to share the same stump. But God uses those differences to shape us, soften us, and teach us how to love.
Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in love.” That verse settles into the heart like a warm quilt on a cold night. It reminds us that love ain’t about agreein’. It’s about honorin’ what God is doin’ in someone else’s life.
Father, thank You for lovin’ me while I’m still in process. Help me love others the same way. Give me patience, kindness, and grace for every believer You place in my path. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Well, slap my knee and call me grateful friend, as you leave off this porch and wander back into the adventures of your day, carry this here truth the way a tall pine carries the cool hush of dawn, steady and sure. Walk with the gentle confidence of a lil’ ol’ deer movin’ through morning mist, knowin’ it ain’t meant to travel alone. Move forward like a bright lil’ firefly driftin’ across a summer field, shinin’ because the One who made you shines through you. And remember, wherever your footsteps land today, love is your light, sho’-nuff your calling, and downright the mark of Jesus in you.
With joy,
Gwen
