Teach me to love.

I’m sick in a third world country…..not cool!

I’ve been lying in bed all day. Since I have no TV this has given me a lot of time to think. That’s a scary thought, I know.  I was thinking about all the times in our lives when we tell people “God is good”. When the weather is just perfect for our church picnics we announce “God is good”. When a doctor tells us we have perfectly healthy children we remember that God is good. When we see our church being over flooded with new members we never forget to tell one another, “God is good”.

These things are all true. God is good at these times, but he is also good while I’m lying here sick in bed. He is good when a Haitian child suffers from malnutrition. He’s good when death takes away our loved ones. He’s good when we are diagnosed with cancer. And, he is still good even if we die of cancer.

C.S. Lewis once said, “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word “darkness” on the walls of his cell.”

I have decided that the suffering I see every day will not determine to me whether or not my God is good. There is suffering because there is sin. We cry out to God so often saying, “Lord, why will you not stop this madness?” I have heard people say that if God was so good then he would never allow such horrible things to take place. Ask yourself this….How should he stop it? If we are the ones causing the problems then the only solution is to somehow stop us.  He could destroy us? He could take away our free will. God must be love because he obviously has not done this. Instead of getting rid of the problem he did something that is almost inconceivable. He forgave us. He sent his son to die for us. I still can’t understand why he would do such a thing. Most of my life I refused to believe it. We are such unlovable creatures. Surely, this story is a myth. No one could love like that. It’s impossible. But Jesus did. Not only does he love, but he came here to teach us how to love.  I have come to understand that without God we have no idea how to love each other correctly. That’s why so many marriages end in divorce. That’s why many children grow up resenting their parents.  We’re ignorant of love without God. Lately, I’ve began asking him every day, “God teach me to love”. I’m challenging you to do the same. Every time you’re angry at someone, or hurt, or disgusted quietly ask God to teach you to love. He is the author of love. He wrote the owner’s manual for it. Doesn’t it make since to go directly to the source for advice?