Banging on the Keys

 

   

1 Cor 13:1

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

My five-year-old likes to "play" the piano and his guitar.  His skill set consists of the ability to bang at the keys with all of his might, or strum the guitar with such vengeance, you are sure he is  going to break every string.   Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the show.   Usually he adds  some singing, and a whole lot of "Oh, yeah, baby." But during his performance, I have to remind myself not to wince when  he attacks the piano.  Something inside of me,  just does not like hearing wrong keys hit. Especially so many- and all at one time!

 

That is exactly how we sound to God when we do not have love.  We may be zealous.  We may enjoy it. We may even be doing the right thing, but without love as our motive, we just do not ring true.  

 

Years ago I helped facilitate group therapy.  In one of my groups,  our audience was mothers who, because of abuse allegations, had lost their children.  To hear some of the mothers complain about having to jump through hoops to get their kids back made my blood boil.  Really?  Really??!  You mind taking a drug test to get your kid back?  You are inconvenienced to make the supervised visits with your children?  I would often  sit there and think, even a dog has care and regard for its offspring.  A dog will protect  their newborns even from their master.  If animals get it, how can human mothers not get it?

 

Just as incongruent is an unloving Christian.  Follow me here.  God is love.  He is in us.  We are in Him.  We have been  baptized into Christ. He dwells in our heart.  His Spirit guides us.  It just seems impossible that all of that could be true and us not have love.

 

Love, like any other fruit of the Spirit, is on the inside of a true Christian.  As we abide in the vine (Christ), we receive nurture and sustenance from the vine, and ultimately, we bear fruit.   The seedling of love must be cultivated.  We have to learn to walk in  love, while squelching selfishness.  It takes discipline to choose to show love when we are being attacked by someone.  But it is crucial that we develop this fruit.  If we do not, all the world will do in response to our witness is cringe at the incongruence between what we say and how we act.

 

Dear Lord, please forgive me when I fail to walk in love.  Develop love in my  life and enable me to deny selfishness.    In Jesus' Name.  Amen.