Loving Others

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:18-20 ESV). I wish that I knew why so many strangers feel a need to talk to me. Most of the time it is not even the slightest inconvenience. However, every once in a while I just want to be left alone. On this one occasion I was standing in front of a “Mary store” while she was inside shopping. We were in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at the Five Oaks Outlet Mall. That’s one of her favorites. An older man saw me checking my phone. I was looking at some of the posted notes for this year’s football season for Texas A&M. He came up to me and asked, “What’s the stock market doing today?” Believe me, the last thing I wanted to talk about was the rise or fall of the stock market. And, honestly, when I looked at him, I thought, “Really. He wants to know about the stock market.” He was dressed in old clothes, some of his teeth were missing and the ones left were yellowed from cigarettes. In fact, he had a cigarette hanging precariously from his lips as he spoke. I was polite and told him I was looking a football notes from Texas A&M. Surely that would put him off. But, he persisted. He proceeded to tell me his life’s story. Some of it was filled with sadness; other parts were cause for rejoicing. He was in Pigeon Forge with his family whom he had not seen in years. He had an eight year old granddaughter he had never met before this trip. And, ultimately I was able to share a bit about myself with him. When I told him I was a preacher, the conversation really began! He was real. He had no pretensions, no conceit, and no desire to be anything more than he was. You got the raw, beaten down man. And, sadly, I would never have spoken to the guy on my own if he hadn’t walked up to me to ask about the stock market. His life was a mess until recently. He had wandered into a rescue center and heard about Jesus. I was able to tell him a lot more. Our reading today encourages us to do that. It’s funny how I’ve never really needed to go looking for people to love. God puts them all around me. Some don’t look like much on the outside; but, God puts them there for us to reach out to that don’t fit our ideal image of people we want to be around. They could reek of smoke, have few teeth, or even champion political views we don’t like. It’s enough to make us squirm. But there’s one key here that we cannot forget: He loves them. Jesus touched the diseased, dirty, and destitute. We can’t let being uncomfortable prevent us from sharing that love.