I was unsure of what to post about so I considered to leave this alone for the time being, but couldn't stand to look at a naked blog. I've decided to post about the other person in the room with me. My cousin Pete is one of my best friends. Literally one of the coolest and oddest looking people you'd ever see, massive beard demanding envy from people and all.
Pete is sincere. Wonderfully so, and always consistent. He has proven to me that it is possible to live a life without the slightest cruelty. Many of us slip, even in the slightest, in the matter of love. Pete is a man whom I have never seen act with cruelty or rudeness towards anyone. Even he, in his humblest of ways, could not recall but one instance of cruelty, but even this I did not recognize as having malice, merely mis-statement.
This brings me to several conclusions:
1. We ARE capable of kindness. Pete is not only capable of kindness but of love. We are not capable of love by our own means. It is only by loving God first that we truly become vessels which can carry such great waters. So do atheist not know love? Not as Pete does. Pete knows the love of God. Pete is filled with God, he knows intimacy with Christ.
Pete doesn't walk around looking for opportunity to show love to people. No, if he did it would fail to be love at all but merely measure up as human kindness (which even evil men can show their friends kindness-Luke 6:33). He is unconscious of his service. He is an overflowing vessel, unaware of his spilling of God's love to others, only aware of God himself.
"If we want to know our own goodness or love, it has already ceased to be love."-detrich bonhoeffer
Pete's life is convicting.
2. We must surround ourselves with those that spur us onward to the victory, that point us to the Victor (Psalms 18:35). Do not mistake me, Pete is not perfection, but Pete is sincere. Pete is lovely. Pete is desiring God. Those we allow ourselves to be most intimate with must be those who spur us onward in the victory of Christ. Christ's ministry was amongst the sinners, but He always made time to be alone with his disciples.(Mark 6:32) We get our strength from God, we also feed off of one another and if the ones we feed off of are not of God then we may 'ingest' impurity. Take your sustenance from God, always, or your work will become weak and shallow; but share spiritual energy with those who have come into intimacy with Christ.
Hebrews 6:10 (New International Version)
10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Matthew 25:45 (New International Version)
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
When God's love is in us, truly in us then we share that love with others, but we are not consciously making this effort (in fact it should be no effort at all). Our cup overflows from God pouring into us and this love soaks the feet of those around us. "He will not forget . . . the love you have shown him as you have helped his people."
Pete teaches me about love, sincere love, cup-overflowing love.
