Making love or making sense?
I knew that the title on the post may stir some conversation. I recently read this quote by L. Robert Keck, "It is better to have a heart that makes love than a mind that makes sense." I have looked at this recently as I have come to analyze budgets and personnel moves in my part of the vineyard.
It is no secret that for the most part charitable giving is down this Christmas season. We are seeing a flattening or even a dip in giving to our organization. Many are blaming this on the economy. I am thinking that this may be the case to a point. I wonder.
We have become pros at doing good. It is our mission and mandate. Especially at Christmas, we pride ourselves on doing good. Christmas is an emotional time. It is commercialized and because of that we reach out to help people celebrate the season, the way we have been conditioned to celebrate. We share lots of gifts and lots of food. There is nothing wrong with that sentiment. We can sanctify the secular. It is the hallmark of our movement. We have become pros though.
Therein lies the rub. Maybe for many in the charity business, Christmas has become a matter of duty and not a matter of sacrificial giving. We have become good at large dinners for the homeless, mass distributions for hundreds of gifts for needy families or even giving good gifts to the shut-in. We have logistics down to a science. We have the movement of people down to a perfectly timed procedure. We have good minds and make a great deal of sense. I wonder though if we are still motivated by love or if we are just answering the call of duty, because we know it is good marketing and the time of year we are supposed to do something like this.
This Christmas, as I review my own motivation, I pray that it will be out of heart that makes love and not a mind that makes sense. So if you have opportunity this evening and tomorrow, take time to love people as God would and not just make sense.
So this Christmas, as you sit and make merry with loved ones and give a nod to the less fortunate, maybe it is time to consider is my heart making love or my mind making sense? Do you think we need a combination of the two? Maybe making sense is the reason we have flattened out in our resources, when we need a renewal of love.
Well, enjoy your Christmas and let me know....What do you think?
It is no secret that for the most part charitable giving is down this Christmas season. We are seeing a flattening or even a dip in giving to our organization. Many are blaming this on the economy. I am thinking that this may be the case to a point. I wonder.
We have become pros at doing good. It is our mission and mandate. Especially at Christmas, we pride ourselves on doing good. Christmas is an emotional time. It is commercialized and because of that we reach out to help people celebrate the season, the way we have been conditioned to celebrate. We share lots of gifts and lots of food. There is nothing wrong with that sentiment. We can sanctify the secular. It is the hallmark of our movement. We have become pros though.
Therein lies the rub. Maybe for many in the charity business, Christmas has become a matter of duty and not a matter of sacrificial giving. We have become good at large dinners for the homeless, mass distributions for hundreds of gifts for needy families or even giving good gifts to the shut-in. We have logistics down to a science. We have the movement of people down to a perfectly timed procedure. We have good minds and make a great deal of sense. I wonder though if we are still motivated by love or if we are just answering the call of duty, because we know it is good marketing and the time of year we are supposed to do something like this.
This Christmas, as I review my own motivation, I pray that it will be out of heart that makes love and not a mind that makes sense. So if you have opportunity this evening and tomorrow, take time to love people as God would and not just make sense.
So this Christmas, as you sit and make merry with loved ones and give a nod to the less fortunate, maybe it is time to consider is my heart making love or my mind making sense? Do you think we need a combination of the two? Maybe making sense is the reason we have flattened out in our resources, when we need a renewal of love.
Well, enjoy your Christmas and let me know....What do you think?
posted by Larry at 4:17 PM
1 Comments:
Merry Christmas
Love sometimes doesn't make sense, line up in the tabulated column or get measured the same as a quantifiable stat.
I breathe the prayer frequently, a request to God, "Except I am moved with compassion, how dwelleth Thy spirit in me; In word and in deed burning love is my need-I know I can find this in Thee."
I can't do what I have to do without God's divine love. I am no pro, but I can work an organized Christmas with others without breaking a sweat. That is not all God is calling me to do. This work, this seasonal Christmas work can all get accomplished and be timely and efficient, but without God's framing it won't be God's work.
God's work wrapped up in love might not make sense all the time. And it so often is laced with tears and reservations and hesitation and vulnerability. But His work, not collectively timed and orchestrated extavaganzas, is His calling.
You have a deep post tonight.
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