Love Anyway

I have recently been mulling over the complicated relationship we have with hurry. Rushing is a pervasive issue in our culture. We live in the “hustle” culture – do more, work harder, run faster, climb higher. We rush through each moment, trying to get to the next stage or step, but end up rushing through that stage as well. We can’t just enjoy the current moment – be with the person in front of us, let alone ourselves. Hurry feels like a sickness to me. It feels like a never ending treadmill of performance, hustle, and striving. And, boy, am I tired. This pace we are expected to run at feels unmanageable for my life. 

I can’t help but wonder – is there more for us than this?

I believe that we are called to live our life the way Jesus lived. There is a stark contrast between the pace of Jesus’s life and the pace of our American hustle culture. It’s hard to love others when you are in a hurry. I don’t know about you, but when I am in a hurry, I am short with people – I snap at others to move quickly, to catch up to my pace. And worst of all, when I am anxious and in a hurry and others are not, I mistake their calm pace for one of apathy. They have learned to walk at a slower pace. Instead of pushing others to join my frantic life, I must learn to meet people where they are at – to slow my pace.  

If we want to live how Jesus did, we need to move at the pace Jesus did. So how do we see Jesus live? In scripture we see that Jesus’s actions came from a place of deep love and compassion for whoever was in front of Him. We see Jesus moved with compassion for the people around Him, and we see His actions reflect that deep love and care. Jesus spent time with people, eating in their homes, healing their illnesses, hugging their children. He went to parties, spoke intentionally, and even cooked the disciples breakfast. He took care of people and loved them with physical and spiritual care. Jesus lived a life of patience, persistence, and presence. Jesus lived a life of love. 

We are living in a challenging time. With the overwhelming amount of troubling news we see and hear every day, it’s difficult to choose to slow down. It’s challenging to want to be present in a time such as this. We are overcome by information overload and a lack of hope. With all that’s happening it can be difficult to see our place in it - to understand our responsibility. Especially if we continue to rush and hustle, we may never slow down enough to see the needs that are all around us. 

So, friends, I ask you – who are you serving by hurrying through life? Are you loving well by rushing? How can you care for your neighbor – the orphan, the widow, the immigrant, the unhoused – if you never slow down enough to see what they are going through? Our presence in the world requires a personal sacrifice of comfort, but brings a demonstration of God’s love to those in need. The marginalized communities need our attention now more than ever. They need us to slow our pace, to choose to love. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and Jesus cared for those in need. Jesus fought for justice for all. Jesus loved those in front of Him no matter what those around him would think. You are the image of God, and although it sounds cheesy, now is the time to ask: what would Jesus do?

A good friend of mine once told me that “a life spent loving is a life worth living.” So, I challenge you to slow your pace. I challenge you to choose love over productivity. Let your life be led by loving the person in front of you, not by the pressure of performance. Choose to linger longer – spend more time by the door, have that last hug, yell goodbyes over the sound of traffic, squeeze their hand even tighter – just don’t lose sight of the love we have before us. Pass the plate, feed the hungry, care for the sick, help the marginalized. Choose love. Choose intentionality. Be present. Walk at the pace of patience and presence. Do not let the bombardment of information cause your heart to harden. Love with an audacious hope. Even when it feels impossible to make a difference, your presence can bring hope to those in the dark. 

In summary: Love Anyway.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31 

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:18