I grew up in a strict home
With a list of rules
... made Leviticus look like a nice poem
(ok, that's a little dramatic).
So if I walked in the house after a day of school,
Just to hear "I'm giving you a new rule"
I might have cried.
"Love one another."
"That's it? What's the catch?"
"No catch"
"...we'll see about that..."
But you see
"No catch" isn't synonymous for easy.
With only 3 words
We don't expect complicity.
Love. One. Another.
It doesn't sound hard!
But when "one another" means
Absolutely "every other*
Palms get sweaty and the pressure starts.
It's the difficult moments in life that try us
And it doesn't help that
Our differences are highlighted
With retractable yellow markers.
....
In the last two days I've been spilled on twice by strangers.
And of course neither time was anywhere near my closet.
Love one another.
My first year here during VIESHA
A very confused, very inebriated gentleman
Broke into my dorm at 4am.
Love one another.
Unfortunate things happen in everyday life.
Thank God.
Lucky I got to meet two people this week who are just as human as anyone else.
Lucky for the awkward phone conversation between myself and a wrong number.
Lucky I had to repeat statistics, only to find out that sociology isn't where my passion lies.
Lucky in High School I didn't make varsity show choir right away, so I met one of my best friends.
Lucky a scared, confused young man broke into my room and reminded me that life in unpredictable.
Lucky our ministry found itself in financial trouble, to remind us what it's really all about.
Lucky I consistently get lost...
And am reminded that I need other people.
Lucky the frustration.
Lucky the fears.
Lucky the heartache,
Lucky the tears.
Lucky the sleepless nights.
Lucky our personal limits.
Lucky the conflicts.
Lucky the tough classes.
And:
Lucky our Savior died on that cross.
Lucky the purpose and message wasn't lost.
Lucky the Martyrs, the rebels, and critics,
Lucky the revolutionaries who refused to quit.
Lucky that God brought us here together.
And so lucky we're commanded to Love One Another.
Emily Martin
September 12, 2012
