In our Wednesday night small group meeting this week we were discussing Evil. At some point in the discuss Sharon ask what does it mean if we are "made in God's image". I said that I thought it meant that we are able to choose. Two other thought it was that we love. I have been chewing on this idea since that conversation. I donot disagree that we love, but as with many things it is a bit more complicated.
Love is a verb. It is only meaningful when a choice is made to act upon that feeling. Love is a relational. If I feel love for someone, but never express it in voice or deed it is meaningless. We must choose to act upon that feeling to have meaning. God created us, that is for me one of his great acts of love. He chose to create us. He chose through Christ to redeem up. This is how we know he loves us.
We can make similar choices that express our love. We are most in God's image when we choose to love the unlovable. In Matthew 5 Jesus say:
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God calls to not to love, but to choose to love. Who feels love towards their enemy? We have to make that choice. It is in that choosing that we are most in the image of God.
2 comments:
Boy, Martin, I disagree even more than I did Wed. night! You say "love is relational." I counter that "love is." I think of the greatest loves of my life. Never did I choose to love them. There was no choice to be made. And when any of those loves has chosen to leave me -- temporarily or permanently -- or turn their back on me, it caused huge pain, but never ever was there any thought that "Now I choose not to love you." That choice has never been mine to make -- thank God! That love has been such a God-given gift that opened me up to God's love for me.Considering the pain that love almost always causes, it's odd for me to think that one would 'choose' it. 2. As for your comment that love is 'only meaningful when a choice is made to act upon that feeling" -- true, I can decide to act out of that love I've been blessed with. But 'only meaningful?' I strongly disagree. It is my understanding and experience that love is meaningful to me, whether or not I act upon it, whether or not it is reciprocal, whether or not anyone else ever knows about it. In "The Wizard of Oz," there's a line that the Wizard tells the scarecrow -- 'you're not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.' That's such a great soundbite -- but completely backwards. That's like saying, Jesus was really great because lots of folks loved him. Posh!
So, there's my thoughts.
Sharon
Ah, I think you miss read some of what I said. Love comes unbiden at times. From the first moment I saw trudy I was in love,(even though I was dating her best friend) but it was meanless until I act upon and chose to persue a relationship. But there are times we must choose to love the unlovable. When I first met George and Lacy there was little for me to love, but I chose to act in a loving manner. Love for them came as our relationship developed. He calls us to love our enemies. I belive that is something we have to choose to do.
I think it strange that you pick one emotional to be the way we are most like God when got has a full range of emotions. He can be an angry God and a Jealous God.
Most of God's creation can not choose, but must follow the laws of God (nature)A rock can not choose to love or feel love. The way we know God loves up is through the choices he has made.
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