Less Christianese, More Cheeseburgers

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the way we live out our faith. We focus a lot on avoiding sin, learning about God, and talking about Bible knowledge with other Christians. But for all the stuff we know and occasionally discuss, sometimes it feels like the most important part – actually loving God and people – gets lost on the way to Sunday School. More like lost on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem, if you catch my drift. But we'll chat about that vague reference later. Bottom line, it’s as if we’ve become experts in brain stuff but amateurs in love stuff.

It’s not that we don’t care. Most of us genuinely want to make a difference, to be known as followers of Jesus, to be light in a dark world. But our lives are full. And full of good stuff. We have jobs, families, schedules, and responsibilities. The demands of daily life can pull us in so many directions that the simplest acts of love get crowded out.

Yet, when I look at the life of Jesus, I see someone who never seemed too busy for people. He noticed the ones others overlooked. He reached out to the ones society and religion had rejected. He chose compassion over convenience every time. And following Him doesn't mean admiring His love – it means doing what He does. Here are some things God has been pressing into my heart.

I need to be much more present, I mean "in the moment, really resent." Maybe your world is like mine. A ridiculously distracted place with a million voices pulling for attention, time, money, and passion. But real love starts with presence – the kind of undivided attention that says, “I see you, and you matter.” Whether it’s my wife, my kids, the neighbors, or a stranger in line at the store, I have to choose to be in the moment. Put my phone down. Turn off the background music. Make eye contact. And listen rather than always thinking about what I'm going to say next.

I need to practice radical hospitality. Come on now! When's the last time you either went to someone's house for dinner or had someone over for dinner? And I don't mean hosting a whole group (which is awesome, but usually lacks quality time). This used to be a weekly thing when I was a kid, but hardly anyone does it anymore. Hospitality doesn’t have to mean a Instagram-perfect dinner party. It's as simple as inviting someone over for coffee, sharing a meal, or making room in your life for someone who needs a friend. It’s about opening your door, your table, and your heart to others, without worrying about the mess or the menu.

I need to intentionally see people, not just their problems. I can't count the number of times I've tried to make friends at church and ended feeling like I had inadvertantly become someone's project. I don't need a personal project manager, but I do not need friends, godly friends. Sometimes it's safer or easier to reduce people to their issues, to label them as “difficult” or “complicated.” But Jesus never looked at someone as a problem to be fixed. He saw souls to be loved. And lives that would be transformed, not through problem-solving, but by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. We need to challenge ourselves to see past the rough edges, the mistakes, and the mess, and to love the person God created.

I need to look for chances to speak loving encouragement, evenw when it’s hard. Words have power. In a world that's much too full of negativity, complaining, criticism, gossip, and harsh judgments, I must choose the better way. I need to speak words that build up rather than tear down and encourage those around me. When we speak truth in love, we diffuse the negativity and edginess that has washed over our entire country. Offer grace when it’s least deserved.

I need to give without keeping score. Because genuine love is generous, it gives without expecting anything in return. It forgives without keeping a record of wrongs. It’s a radical kind of generosity that is mimicing the heart of a God who has given everything to us.

I need to always be praying for a softer heart. If you’re like me, your heart can get hard without you even realizing it. The daily grind, annoying acquaintences, work frustrations, personal disappointments, church disappointments, and the list goes on. All this can make us callous over time. I have to keep asking God to keep my heart soft. I have to keep praying for eyes that see people like He does, and for the courage to obey His leading when He speaks.

The truth is, loving like Jesus isn’t complicated, but it is costly. It costs us our time, our pride, our comfort, and sometimes our plans. This reminds me of a long hike I took with a group in the beautiful American Southwest. We were crossing a bridge across a big river and one of the group told everyone to pick up a stone and throw it in. Then they explained it could be a symbol of something in your life you were letting go of. As I thought about it, I sensed hte Lord telling me what He wanted me let go and give to Him -- my plans.

In the end, this is the only kind of life that truly matters. It’s the kind of life that changes us and the world around us. And it’s the kind of life Jesus commands His followers to live.

So, why don't you and I shake hands and make a commitment to each other right now -- We will stop talking about love and start living it. Let’s be the kind of people who see the overlooked, welcome the stranger, forgive the offender, and love the people Jesus has placed around us.