3 Things I’ve learned about LOVING PEOPLE from the Race
1) Relationships are work. There’s a lot that goes into nurturing a good one. I’m realizing that about 90% of the relationships in my life have been superficial. I’m finding that there are only a handful of people in this world that I actually know….. really know. And I’m reevaluating my understanding of how to be a good friend, daughter, sister, neighbor, coworker, and one day even wife. I’m learning about a selfless kind of Love. A Love that caters to and pours out and asks for nothing in return. A Love that holds no expectations, no regrets, no fears, and no reservations. A love that embodies grace, patience, truth, and kindness. I’m learning how to love in the same way Jesus loves me— recklessly.
2) Love is vulnerable. Something beautiful happens when people are open and honest about their faults, weaknesses, and brokenness. There’s something inside of us (called pride) that wants to keep these things concealed. Maybe it’s our culture. Or maybe it’s that little lie inside our head that tells us we’re the only one dealing with that problem and no one else needs to know about it. I guess what I’m learning is, we’re all broken. And we aren’t really loving each other well if we’re pretending that we aren’t. Love is not proud, it’s vulnerable.
3) Godly community helps us look more like Jesus. On the Race, we work to create a culture of high preference, high honor, high safety, high courage, and high consideration. We value “feedback”— a fancy word for calling each other to our highest potential. We don’t sweep things under the rug— we deal with them. We have conversations—hard ones. We learn how to live, sleep, eat, breath, work, play, and cry with people we might not have even chosen as friends before the Race. Ahhhh…..the benefits of Christ-centered community! If I need prayer, I’ve got it. If I need truth, they’ll speak it. And if I need my junk to be called out, they aren’t afraid to do it (in love). It’s more like a family than a friendship, really. God has blessed us all with the gift of ‘doing life with freaking cool people’ and that, my friends, is just awesome.
Stay tuned for more of my 3 Things series!
More from this series: 3 Things I’ve learned about LIFE from the Race
