Week 4 | Day 3 | A Different Kind of Love

Command:

Be Reconciled. Matthew 5:24 (NIV)

Read:

And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Colossians 3:14 (MSG)

Reflect:

I was sitting with my counselor sobbing about the harm done to me by my mother over many decades. The counselor shared this story: St. Francis of Assisi lived in a village where a wolf was eating small children. The parents were in anguish and joined St. Francis on an expedition to kill the wolf. St. Francis was alone when he found the wolf, and before drawing his knife, paused to ask why the children were being eaten. The wolf replied, “Because I’m hungry.” Finding compassion, St. Francis brought the wolf back to the village and told the people that they would care for the wolf by feeding him food so he wouldn’t eat the children. I interrupted the counselor, deeply upset. “What if I don’t want to feed the wolf?” She smiled gently at me and said, “Ahh, and that is the beauty of community. The parents who experienced harm would never be expected to feed the wolf. Their work is to heal. There are plenty of other villagers who can care for the wolf.”

This story has been pivotal in how I’ve learned to ‘wear love’ with my mom. It has supported an understanding that I don’t need to be in a close relationship with her; there are others in the community who can do that. The distance allows me to be in a more compassionate stance with her and care for my own soul. It’s a different kind of love.

React:

The cornerstone of our faith is love. Sometimes the most loving act is to create distance from those who have harmed us, allow ourselves the spaciousness to heal, and trust that God and his people are holding us all.

Pray:

God, as we steep ourselves in your immense love, open our eyes to the multiple ways we can wear love.