Loving others...

 

#RitaHutchesonCobbs with #GarrettCobbs

Sundays are a rockin' awesome day of the week for Garrett and me. We love to spend our mornings having breakfast together, getting ready for church, going to Decatur Baptist for services and then to our favorite place for lunch. Each week, Garrett wants us to get our selfie and I have one for every single Sunday morning that we have been at church. He will say, "Pizza!" for the photograph, which is what he eats for lunch on Sundays. He is way too cute about it. 

It amazes me that during the past three-years, Garrett comes out of Sunday School telling me all about the lesson he has learned. Then he goes home to tell his grandmother about the sermon, scripture and the basic outline of Bro. Doug's theme. What is so great about these things? Garrett's reading and writing is on a limited scale. Garrett is also learning that there is a difference in who have love and those who don't. In this he has expressed examples of the difference in someone having Christlike behavior and those who don't. I want everyone to live in peace, love, hope and joy. However, when others have experienced that Garrett and I have, it's hard to explain to them and especially a child, that there is love in people's negative choices especially when they are contrary to God's Word. 

Then there is Garrett. He looks at things black and white; there is no straddling the fence. People either love each other or they don't. He wastes no time and verbalizing that a person doesn't love another and why they don't. When he shared his opinion about a situation recently, I was about to encourage him another direction when the person who was listening lifted their hand as not to stop me. Then they told Garrett, "You are old enough to have your on opinion about this and we can learn from what you have to say."

Indeed, why isn't loving others clear as this? Why isn't it obvious. God's Word says it clearly to love others as we would love ourselves. Why isn't Garrett's definition of how someone would show love to others not be true? You either do show them in every way or you don't. Garrett and I have lived situations that nobody should ever have to live. We have lived abandoned, we have lived loved. We have lived rejected, we have lived redeemed. We have lived in fear, we have lived by faith. Regardless what you may experience, you have a choice to live in love for this is what we are suppose to do. We have no excuse not to live life healthier by living loved as well as loving others. There is so much more happiness in deciding to love others regardless where they are in our lives even if they aren't ever present, praying for them and knowing that it isn't our battle to fight, but God's. We can press on toward the mark He has for us, sharing the faith of the gospel which is eternal life, the hope and the love, He has for us. Garrett has the right idea, love has no boundaries, but it is completely defined in the realities of our actions and how we live it. 

Remember, you are loved regardless. 

Hugs, Rita