If there is one main takeaway I have gained
from the entire STEP journey these past 3 weeks, it would be this: Love. As
cliche as it sounds, Love particularly resonated with me during the various
sharings, church visits and even the other assignments that we had to complete
which included the Bible reading of the New Testament (which I might or might
not have finished...) Although this word is repeated many times in the Bible,
even being described in detail in 1 Corinthians 13, it never fully struck me that
Love is indeed universal yet at the same time, simple. The universality of Love
is embodied in the very mission of God in the Bible - to save His chosen people
by sending His son once for all, reconciling them back to Him.
Love
for God
At the forefront of our Christian faith, Love
for God should come naturally and unconditionally. With a Love for God, many
other wonderful qualities and aspects of Christ-like living can be put to
practice. Respect is a form of Love, and respecting God would mean that we seek
His words of advice for us and obey His commands as we look to Him as a role
model in all that we do. We might not be able to meet God’s expectations of
holiness and righteousness, but all He desires is a Love for Him which leads to
repentance and faith.
Love
for Others
As we Love god, we also Love those around us.
Love is selfless and therefore should be spread like a wildfire amongst our
circle of friends and family and more importantly, to those beyond this
familiar circle. This is where the simplicity of Love comes in. Many would
think that loving others would involve a favour of some sort. Yet, a Love for
others can actually be as simple as displaying kindness in speech when speaking
with another person. With God’s calling for us to be a part of His mission of
salvation, Love can also be shown in evangelism manifested as both word and
deed. When we Love others, we bring them one step closer to Christ.
Love for Self
We often hear about Love for God and those in
our presence, but what about loving ourselves? As much as we are eager to go
forth and rain Love on all our fellow neighbours, it is crucial to first
remember our identity and take care of our wellbeing. It is easy to forget who
we are in this world; we do not belong here in the first place. However, we
must never forget that despite the trials and tribulations we go through,
despite our sinful nature, despite our flaws, God still loves us no matter
what. If a big and sovereign God can Love us - tiny specks in His universe and
timeline, what excuse and reason do we have to not Love ourselves too? So while
we pick at our every flaw and blemish, let us not forget that we are already
made perfect in God who created us in His own image.
After all this time, it might seem strange
that I have capitalised the first letter ‘L’ of Love throughout this reflection
essay. The reason why: Because God is
Love. Love being seen as a person and a pronoun is made possible because God is
the essence and perfect example of Love. He shows His love in the greatest way
possible - by sending His one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins
that we may believe and have eternal life (John 3:16).
We love because He first loved us while we
were sinners. Without God’s love for us, we would not have known Him personally
and without knowing God, we are then unable to please and glorify Him.
As an apt summary to end this reflection,
there is one basic command Jesus has given us to follow and apply as we go
about our daily lives. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved
you.” John 15:12 (NIV)
Seah Ming Hui, Joella
Living Praise Presbyterian Church
STEP 2019
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