Because I have no life, I was watching C Span last night. That is the network that covers the various government agencies including Congress. Last night the Senate Finance Committee was discussing the so called "stimulus bill." I have big concerns about its passage but that's not the point. It looked to me as if even the Senators were lost in the details of this nearly 700 page document. Members of both parties were expressing strong reservation about the details in the bill. My thought was if these intelligent people were struggling to understand it, what hope does the average citizen have?

The transition of that moment is in the idea that perhaps we do not understand love as much as we claim. If we are truly loving followers of Jesus then why do we have so many damaged disciples? If we are truly loving others then why is it difficult to get members to sign off on the project of 40 Days of Love? Loving disciples are marked by a loving character. Sadly the history of the church in general is not the story of love. Far too often we allowed racism to dictate our doctrine. We spend more time that we realize in finding differences between people of other denominations. And far too often we would rather stay in committee meetings than actually touch the lives of those that are lost. Yes, these are wide generalizations yet they are too often real.

It is not easy for me to sit and cast stones about whether or not we are loving. God knows how much room there is for me to develop more of a loving nature. Only He knows all of the damage inflicted in my soul over the years that hinders my love. Yet, will we be honest enough to take a long look into our soul to discern whether or not we truly understand love?

Real love is tough. There are lots of things in relationships that are easy. Real love is the toughest part of growing as a person. It's tough because it has to cut away the scars from the past. We can easily allow the very real pain of the past to limit how much we risk to love. It's tough because on occasion love has to take a stand. It has to draw that line in the sand in setting the limits of painful people to injure us. Real love is tough because it has to tackle the differences between people that can remain obstacles to love rather than bridges to relationships. Jesus understood that real love is tough. Just take a long look at the nail prints in His hands and feet to discover that.

Real love is also tender. It is the heart that is broken over the plight of people in need. It is the tender tug of our emotions when we open up to God or another person. It is emotional as we express love to those who are grieving, hurting, or failing in life. Real love is found in the emotions of Jesus when He encounters the family of Lazarus who died. It is also found in His tears when Jesus does what only He can do in raising that same Lazarus from the dead. We sometimes do our religious thing without being in touch with those emotions that are born of God. I would need to confess to that failure more than once in my life.

So is the mystery of love. It is tough and it is tender. It isn't either/or but is both/and. It feels all the passion we seek in life. It also offers the comfort we need in our darkest hours. Life is complicated and often difficult. God in His love offers us hope in bridging the gaps. He does that so we can build bridges with others.

Bro. Trey