Michele Laccabue, GFC Carrollwood“We don’t need to be who we used to be; God sees who we’re becoming – and we’re becoming love”.
A quote taken from an inspiring book I am currently reading titled “Everybody, Always” by Bob Goff. His driving point is to love everyone, all the time. This includes loving difficult people, strangers, and even those people who “creep us out” (as Bob would say).
God is love. As Jesus followers our identity is wrapped up in being love too, but do our daily actions prove this is who we are and whose we are? Are we giving away love like we’re made of it? Do we strive to do more than we should and become exhausted and resentful? Or do we become overwhelmed by it all and find ourselves withdrawing and not doing anything at all?
God is most interested in our hearts. He is not looking at how bad we’ve messed up in the past or for perfection in the present. Instead, God is hoping to see progress in becoming more like Him, becoming genuine love in the now.
A few months ago, I knew the Holy Spirit was prompting me to get out of my routine and do something different to love on someone I didn’t know, in an environment out of my comfort zone. It just so happens (God wink) that the next morning was GFC’s Serve Saturday. I decided to join a ministry (New Life Warehouse at the Carrollwood campus) that delivers furniture to families needing a fresh start. Showing up by myself without a truck (couldn’t help hauling big items), I knew I could at least offer some muscle to lift and do whatever needed to be done. Honestly, I just thought I’d move some furniture and meet some fellow “Serve Saturdayers”, BUT GOD had MORE, much more for me to experience (of course He did). I asked Stephanie, the founder of NLW, “How can I help?” She said, “Michele, I need you to go and love on the mom of this whole house delivery. We have plenty of guys to move the big stuff. Can you love on her?” Yes! I can do that!
God is so good! We gave a lot of love away that day. Each person on the team loved in a different way (muscle, sweat, time, smiles, words). What a privilege it was to genuinely love on a family going through hard times. To speak God’s words of life and hope. To witness God’s miracle of her demeanor shifting from overwhelmed sadness to smiles and hopefulness on the rise. She was seen, heard, and experienced Jesus. And, oh the smiles of her boys and their new beds. Love does change everything.
God reminded me of one of my life verses:
“I urge you to live life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”. Ephesians 4:1-2
Friends, we are called to love. It’s in our DNA. Let’s live a life becoming love. Let’s give away love TODAY. Ask the Holy Spirit and respond to the opportunity He puts in YOUR hand. Maybe today is the day to make a phone call or send a text or mail a card or cook a meal or knock on a neighbor’s door or give a hug or plan a lunch or offer a prayer or extend an invitation to church or _____________ (you fill in the blank).
There are a million ways to love. Let’s love God and love His people.