Love Walked Among Us- Response

This book, Loved Walked Among Us, was very convicting for me. This conviction has come on two fronts. First, that I have very seldom sat down to study the life of Jesus, and second, that in reality I show very little compassion for others because I am self-centered and judgmental. In the past few weeks God has been showing me that there is much room for improvement in this area, and He is working to change me in the midst of my relationships.

The first part of this book, then spoke most directly to me, specifically the third chapter. Looking back and forth at from this book to my life, I realize that there has to be a foundational paradigm shift in how I relate to people. Miller begins laying the groundwork for love, which Jesus exemplifies in His compassion for others. If this is where I recognize I need most change, then there must be some serious foundational changes that need to be made. And there are.

Miller uses a moving example from the ministry of Jesus to illustrate the destruction in relationships caused by being judgmental. The disciples were blinded by their own attitudes of self-supremacy over others to see the opportunities for God to work in the hearts and lives of sinners. The contradiction is stark: “the disciples see a blind man; Jesus sees a man who happens to be blind. The disciples see an item for debate; Jesus sees a human being, like himself. They see sin, the effect of man’s work; Jesus sees need, the potential for God’s work. The disciples see a completed tragedy and wonder who the villain was; Jesus sees a story half told, with the best yet to come.” My attitudes toward others match that of the disciples all too well.

I have felt the Spirit tugging at my heart the last little while to become more intentional in my relationships with others. I tend to engage people with whom I have comfortable relationships so as to avoid having to get into too deep of conversations, or I will gravitate to those who I know are struggling with the hopes of being able to help (or even ‘fix’) them. Even in my studies thus far, I find I am most often concentrated on the situations and solutions to people’s problems, that I easily lose sight of the person.

Jesus, however, demonstrates a radically different approach to people. He shows how I ought to approach people with a spirit of love and humility and a dependence upon God. I need to be able to see others with the eyes of Christ, and engage life in general with more of a redemptive intentionality.

Another issue that Miller addresses in this book surrounds the command to speak the truth in love. I find this particularly difficult to practice in my relationship with my fiancée. I am not aggressive or mean towards her, but I often fail to say things that need to be said, and am hesitant to make good choices because I do not want to do something she might dislike (of course, implicit in this is also a strong fear of rejection and a desire to avoid conflict). However, I need to learn to say “no” in a loving and kind way, and to do so with the conviction and desire to do what is pleasing to God and good for our relationship, and not just to make decisions based on my own personal preference. I must learn to more purposefully look out for her (and our) good.

Of course, this speaking the truth in love must carry on in my other relationships as well. I am specifically hesitant to ask the tough questions to people I know are struggling with particular sins, mostly because I feel inadequate to speak into their lives. However, behind this also lies the lack of love I identified above. In addition, I need to be able to say “no” to the demands of some people in order to free up time to spend engaging in ministry opportunities that I have been putting off for a while.

I pray that God will continue to work these convictions in me in the coming weeks, and that He will enable me to be more compassionate towards other people.