The View Was Not Pretty

My book club met this past week to discuss the final of five relationship secrets for loving like Jesus. The book is called, Love Like That, by Les Parrott.  The trait?  Self-giving. I have to admit that this challenged me, perhaps more than any of the others.  It required me to look inside and the view was not pretty.  How do we become more self-giving? 

He talked about selfishness, the golden rule, and going the extra mile.  But the thing that struck so close to home for me, was a concept he learned from Scott Peck, the author of The Road Less Traveled.  It is the act of emptying oneself of expectation; of holding one’s own desires loosely.  

Emptying Ourselves

I spend a great deal of time trying to get people to do what I want, and I don’t like it when life doesn’t go my way.  I can spend days or even weeks in a stew because something – or someone – did not cooperate with how I thought something should play out.  And none of this looks like Jesus. But listen to what the author wrote:

We fuss and fume.  But when we empty ourselves of this compulsive need to have our own way – when we lose our life, as it were – something almost mystical takes place deep within our soul.  We find our life. (Ah, so that’s what Jesus meant when He said to find your life, you must lose it.)  He goes on to say, When we surrender our selfishness, we are no longer limited to defining our happiness by merely getting what we want.  Emptying ourselves of the burden to always get our way frees our soul and opens the way to understanding others. It opens the door for empathy.

I have much to ponder in learning to love like Jesus.  What do you think?  Let me know at Lifting Her Voice, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  I highly recommend the book, Love Like That, and have a link in the show notes and at Lifting Her Voice.com.