5 Ways Persevering Love Makes a Powerful Difference
“Could you bring me some water?” he asked. I took the Bible off my lap and got up to reach for the plastic cup and straw and placed it right under his chin.
My duty as “water girl” completed, I moved to sit down again, but that was when I heard my “tough cookie” relative saying, “You really love me, huh? I never knew you really loved me.”
Can I tell you how God broke me through this experience? For years, I had tried to corral this person into better behavior, but I’d failed miserably. On that day in the hospital, the Holy Spirit clearly spoke to me: Your job is to love him. My job is to change him.
I made a conscious decision to choose love above all in this relationship, and I’ve seen greater transformation in my family as a result. Persevering love makes a powerful difference.
5 Ways Persevering Love Makes an Powerful Difference
Love demonstrates
Love displays the reality of Christ to this doubting world.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35)
Love unites
Love leads us to live in harmony in this world full of discord.
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14).
Love revives
Love brings restoration to the weary in this broken world.
“For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you” (Philemon 1:7).
Love Frees
Love leads us to respond with grace and forgiveness to one another in a world full of grudges and fights.
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (I Peter 4:8).
Love strengthens
Love helps us stand strong together in faith instead of faltering alone.
“Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling” (I John 2:10).
I wish I could tell you that God has completely redeemed the brokenness in my family of origin, but that is not that case. What has happened is that as I’ve surrendered my will to God’s, He has softened my heart and changed my perspective.
I no longer seek justice. I long for salvation.
I’ve come to view my family as my mission field, not my battlefield. Sure, there are still minefields of misunderstanding to wade through, but rather than fight in the flesh, I choose to wage war on my knees and don the armor of the Spirit. The Apostle Paul challenged the warrior believers in the early church to “be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet” (I Thessalonians 5:8).
So, for the next 7 days, I want to invite you to love deep by praying big for your loved ones. The battle for our loves will be one as we bend down on one knee to bless them before God with surrendered hearts.
I’ve created a one-page printable of these 7 Scriptural prayers for your home to help you get started. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library.
As we choose to respond with God’s love, our faith is perfected, and we overcome fear (I John 4:18).
Let’s continue persevere in love. We might just help soften a few hard hearts and see our little corner of the world transformed.
Persevering love melts hard hearts and breathes life and light into dark places.
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ARE YOU READY TO FIRE UP YOUR FAITH?
This is such good, basic truth we always need to revisit, Lyli. Especially when relationships are hard. I like this: “Love leads us to respond with grace and forgiveness to one another in a world full of grudges and fights.” Yes, love frees, indeed.
I need a daily reminder. So thankful that God empowers us to do hard things! On my own, I can’t do this — I end up messing up every time.
This is lovely. I too had a difficult and unruly family member. His worldly ways never really straightened themselves out here on earth, but when he died the notes written in the margins of a book I gave him on faith made my heart rejoice knowing he was perfected and whole in heaven. I’ll be praying for God to continue to give you love that bubbles over in this difficult situation. Blessings!
Thanks for sharing that, Liz! It really encouraged me. HUGS
I’ve had similar struggles. When I finally realized that, instead of trying to “be a testimony” to my loved ones who didn’t know the Lord, I just needed to love them, it made such a difference.
Yes. I changed — not my family member. But, the work God and I did in my heart helped bring greater harmony in that relationship as well.
“I’ve come to view my family as my mission field, not my battlefield. Sure, there are still minefields of misunderstanding to wade through, but rather than fight in the flesh, I choose to wage war on my knees and don the armor of the Spirit.” Wow! Powerful!
Love functions like a solvent, doesn’t it? Your acts of service were evidence of your persevering love, and I so appreciate that little reminder tucked in there that God is the One who’s in the life-changing business.
Blessings to you!
Yep. I am counting on God’s redemption to bring about a spectacular ending to this story.
Hi Lyli! Thanks for sharing this truth about your family with us. I think we all struggle with at least one relative. A few years ago God told me that I needed to be a friend to a family member. I guess it never occurred to me to be a friend to her. She was family, closer than a friend in my mind even though we had never had a tight knit relationship. But God knew exactly what we both needed and being friends has changed so much in our family. Amazing what God can do if we stand back and let His will flow. 🙂 Blessings to you!
That’s beautiful, Connie.