What is a love story? One where a guy and girl meet, they fall in love, go through a rough patch, realize they can’t live without each other, and then live happily ever after? How many movies have I watched that portray love that way? Tons. How many times have I wanted a story like that? A lot.
The only problem is that I never get to see the rest of the story – the mundane, everyday, wonderful adventure that love is. Let me explain more.
This month my team had the privilege of serving with an organization called Love Story in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. They started with about 6 sandwiches that they handed out to homeless people downtown, and now it has grown to each month supplying over 20 soup kitchens, making 4000 school sandwiches for hungry children, delivering 1000 grocery parcels to needy families, altogether serving 50,000 meals to the poor, running 2 markets a month, and leading a couple bible studies a week. They’re not doing anything radical. They are radically obeying the Lord. They are meeting practical needs with great love, but they start with loving each other as a family.
The Love Story team is first and foremost a family. They support each other in their differences, and they would drop anything to help each other out. They are a very diverse group of people, but they love the Lord and they love the people in their city. The privilege this month was being invited into that family. Something I have experienced a lot on the Race has been people inconveniencing themselves for us, making time to drive us around, and just inviting us into their lives.
So what have I learned about a true love story? Love is being inconvenienced, it’s unconditional despite the other’s response, it says ‘yes’ in radical obedience to the small things (even if it makes you look like a fool), it does not take into account reputation, it laughs the hardest because its joy is whole.
I wrote a poem a couple months ago describing what I’ve learned about faith and I think it’s applicable here too.
So many answers coming my way
Should I go, should I stay?
What is this thing they call faith?
Don’t tell me just to believe
Cuz I’ll be the first to leave
Don’t tell me that it’s just hope
Cuz all I ever do is cope
Hold on through the toughest night
But all I ever do is fight
Fight the battle inside my head
The what ifs cause my mind to feel like lead
So who is the one my faith is to go?
Jesus they say,
Who can make you white as snow
I am a sinner, I won’t deny
Wrecked from the beginning
And can’t even try
They say that he’s the one
Who broke the chain of sin
And I believe it, I do but the battle I can’t seem to win
So what is it?
This thing they call faith?
I’ve been told, I’ve heard
He’s the one to trust
But my faith seems to unravel like dust
Well what have I got to lose?
They say that it’s a choice so I guess I’ll have to choose
To believe what you said
And actually hear you speak
Because I don’t want what’s dead
And I don’t want what’s weak
The truth, alive and vibrant
Living and guiding my movement
But it’s seems so much deeper
Than it did before
I had heard of your glory
But now I’m a part of the story
I used to be a spectator
Skeptical of every seeker
Who could have ever sought you wrongly
But now I seek you strongly
It is you I will trust and you I will seek
For you make me strong in times when I am weak
Let me be weak, let me be broken
Maybe then I will hear the words you have spoken
I know this thing called faith
A dangerous and painful road
Being broken but never carrying a heavy load
That load was taken
And I’ll learn to give
Because I’m not forsaken
Yes, it’s in Christ I will live
Read it again and insert ‘love’ whenever it says ‘faith.’
Learning to love and have faith is a tough road because it’s not natural. It’s not natural to live a whole and complete life. One where you actually love yourself first because you’re made in the image of God, and then love others with that same love. This year I have primarily learned how to love myself, and that still feels weird to say, but I hope it’s true. And I hope that for you too. True love is not selfish, so then loving myself is actually not selfish at all. That’s a true love story.
This was the best way to end the Race because I saw people who lived ordinary lives that actually weren’t ordinary at all. They were wild and sold out for Jesus, which means they were wild and sold out for love.
