Don't Let Go

Scripture

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. -1 John 4:7

We are admonished to love and be at peace with one another in the scripture. However, there are some encounters we have with the people we love that bring us to our knees. How do we respond when the bonds we built with those closest to us are shaken? What happens when trust has been stolen? We love them anyway. The initial response may be to back away or avoidance, but it is in those pivotal moments when we're deciding what to do concerning the situation that matters most. We may be filled with disappointment, hurt, or perhaps betrayal, but we must remember that we're rooted in Christ. Therefore, these types of encounters can be a litmus test for spiritual maturity . So, what we do is pray for them, love them, and don't let go. 

"Don't let go?" This is a question I asked when I felt hurt by the reality of betrayal, but this was His response.  I prayed that God help me wade through the emotions I felt because there were many. He calmed the sea churning inside of me and He told me to love anyway. Please understand Beloved, I'm not referring to mere acquaintances, but those who we're in covenant relationship with and those we've built bonds with. In these relationships, challenges are sure to come, but we must remember that love originates from the very nature of God. True love is divine and this is what distinguishes it from human affection. It should not be driven by emotions because if it were, any challenge would drive love away. Emotions change with the situation, God's love is constant. Consider this,  a person's ability to love others in a sacrificial way proves they have been born of God and truly know Him. The people closest to you may not always get it right. Neither do we. Yet God never lets us go. And because His love holds us, we can hold others with that same grace.

Beloved, God is aware of every emotion we feel and every traumatic situation we face, but spiritual maturity suggests that despite what we're feeling, we choose to love. We choose to forgive because we've received the love and forgiveness from He that is eternal. Do you know why we have the ability to continue to love and hold on to those loved ones who have hurt us? Because we have been born of God and He gives us the capacity to love like Christ.  We are a new creation and we have the mind of Christ, therefore, the natural response for us rooted in Him is to mirror His love for others. Don't let them go, Beloved. Our fellowship with God is inseparable from our love for others. 

Prayer

Father, we choose to love and forgive as you do. We choose to never let go because you didn't let go of us. Amen.