I wrote this in January 2020, before life got totally insane…

Keep giving. Keep giving. Keep giving.

We live in a culture that says “stop giving to people who don’t give back”. This is not the Christian way.

Give.

Let your needs be met in Christ and you will never run out of an abundance from which to give.

Stop counting. Stop keeping track of how much time your friend spends talking vs listening. Stop adding up the number of times you have to repeat yourself. Stop counting the hours of sleep. Stop keeping score — who did the laundry last? When is the last time he picked up my groceries?

Not only is this unwise and likely unfair (when is the last time I put the dog to bed? Or did the dishes? Or watched the kids all day for 3 days straight by myself?), it’s disobedient.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

It seems like a weight, doesn’t it? “You mean I deserve nothing? I don’t deserve my friends to at least listen to me?” But the real weight is hanging onto what ‘should’ be, to the point we can’t appreciate what is.

What freedom to accept what God has for us as a blessing regardless of how much a blessing it appears to be.

This is not something I am expert at, but it’s something God is compelling me to share. This is the ancient path. Trust and obey.

I’m reading this now thinking it was easier then, but no less true. And it’s revealing to me how difficult it is to really overlook an offense or go the extra step for someone who doesn’t seem grateful. Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Share your thoughts!