He Started It

We love because God first loved us. 1 John 4:19
 
Do the words “he started it”, no, “he started it,” followed with a louder “uh-uh HE started it!” seem familiar to anyone?  Growing up, I remember one family car in particular.  It was a 1970 something blue Plymouth Fury III.  You could compare its size to a modern day pontoon!  I remember that car well because that’s the car my brothers and I rode in most.  The boys always sat by the windows and I took the middle.  Middle child, middle seat my mom would say. Personally, I think I was placed there due to my sweet demure nature so I could be the peacemaker and have a positive effect on my brother’s behavior. (I’m sure my little brother will confirm that story.)  If I had a quarter for every time I got stuck in the middle of a “he started it” duel in the back seat of that car, I could probably buy my own Plymouth!  We really knew it had gone too far when mom would reach into the glove box and pull out the ruler and as predictable as the rising of the sun, she would say, “I don’t care who started it, I want it stopped right now!” She would then begin waving the ruler fiercely. 
 
At this point in my life, I realize two important things about mom and her ruler; 1) She was 5’12” with very long arms but that car was so big I l don’t think she could have reached us from the front seat and 2) She NEVER intended to…it was simply a diversion tactic. (She was so good!)  Looking back, that was a lesson in God’s love.  She was a loving parent and she didn’t want to hurt or harm, she wanted to redirect and refocus us. 
 
When we consider the enormous love God has for us and take a look at this verse from John’s first letter we realize without a doubt “He started it!”  He wins…He loved first!  Now, thanks to human nature, we often think if we didn’t win, then we lost but in this case His winning is our greatest prize!  God’s love for us can’t be outdone!  It’s too huge, amazing, perfect and astounding!  Here is the really good news…it’s not a contest!  God is not asking us to love bigger or better than Him, instead He’s asking us to share the love He gives us in tiny little ways with everyone He puts in our path each day.  As if that wasn’t enough, here’s the kicker…DESERVING has nothing to do with giving or receiving His love.  It’s a free gift; it’s always there, always fits perfectly, never expires, and won’t run out no matter how much of it we give away to others!
 
There are a million ways to share His love with others.  I recently bought 5 platters on a clearance table and decorated them with the words “pray and pass platter”.  The objective is to pray for the person/family who will receive the platter filled with homemade goodies, fruit, fresh produce or whatever you can think of and then they will enjoy the treat and then pass on some prayers and goodies to someone else.  As we live on this earth our main objective should be to share the love God started.  Unlike the duels in the backseat of the Plymouth, this is something that should never be stopped!
 
A seed to plant:  Make a list of 5 acts of love you can share with people in your life during the next week.  Include prayer for the recipients because asking God’s blessing on someone is a great expression of His love!  Be sure to share the stories of how reflecting His love touched others!

Blessings on your day!