Many Christians wear bracelets with “What would Jesus do?” printed on them, but the question that hits harder for me is: How did Jesus love?
A country music song by Eric Church called “Like Jesus Does” gives some clues. Church sings about his girlfriend, who loves him like Christ does, with all his flaws. She forgives him, time and again, and helps him carry the burden of his worries.
This kind of love is rare because, all too often, affection comes with hidden strings attached. “I’ll cherish you no matter what” gives way to “I’ll stand by you under these conditions.” But real love survives the downturns, the downfalls and the declines.
Sadly, some marriages fall apart when rough times hit. Finger-pointing and name-calling replace forgiving and forgetting. The man who promised to stick around in sickness and health may call it quits when his wife falls prey to an illness requiring significant sacrifice on his part.
That vow about richer and poorer can dwindle away in the face of job losses and mortgage foreclosures. And “death do us part” often turns into “until someone new catches my eye.”
How can we love like Jesus did? He met people where they were. If they were hungry, he fed them. If they were broken down and sick, he healed them. If they were social outcasts, he ate with them. He didn’t expect them to be perfect.
Who are the outcasts in our lives we are called to accept? Maybe the people we disagree with politically. Maybe the ones who go to different churches. Maybe the ones whose sins we think are darker than ours.
Real love puts definite demands on us. When Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter exclaimed strongly that he did — and Jesus’ response was simple yet profound: “Feed my sheep.”
In short, love isn’t about feelings, according to Christian teachings. Instead, it is about feeding, which requires taking action. Many folks think that if they tend a seriously ill spouse with feelings of impatience, somehow they are falling down in the compassion department. But we get credit for the things we actually do, despite our emotions.
If you doubt that, ask a mother who rises from a deep sleep at 3 a.m. to nurse a wailing infant. Maybe in her heart of hearts she’s thinking, “Oh, what a pest!” but she feeds him anyway — and that is love in action.
Who are the sheep we are called to feed? In truth, we needn’t go to a homeless shelter to find them. It might be a teenager in our own home starved for attention. It could be a spouse struggling with self-doubts. Or an elderly neighbor in a slow and agonizing decline.
Shall we send them a flowery greeting card that says, “I love you”? That’s fine, of course, but the real key is showing concern in concrete ways. Spending more time with the child, encouraging the spouse, visiting the neighbor.
In Church’s song, we get a glimpse of love that can pick someone up off the floor — and turn their life around. This is the redemptive love that Jesus Christ offers us. It’s a love that never quits, a love that seeks to nurture even the loneliest, littlest sheep. A love that keeps all its promises.
So, the bracelet I’d like to wear would pose the question “How did Jesus love?” And then I could spend the rest of my life trying to answer it.
About the Author
