Loving Without Expectations

The past few days I have been thinking a lot about Matthew 5:14-16. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

What stands out to me is that “you are the light of the world”.  Meaning your life and walk should represent Christ. Does your character point to Jesus? Do you really love the people around you like Christ would?

I like to think if Jesus was on the earth that he would be constantly smiling and be friendly to others in a day to day setting. I picture him at Target smiling at every person, not rushing through focusing on what he needs, but really “seeing” others. So, do I really love the people around me? I think the honest answer is, no. Most of the time, I am running through the store as fast as possible, with as little eye contact as possible.

I think about that image of Jesus in my mind and wish I was more like that. I am going to make an honest effort this week to try to have the “eyes and ears” of Christ – to try to love the way he loves. I have been praying about this a lot as well. That God would give me a heart like that – to really love and serve people without expectations, all people.

Am I loving to my friends and family? Yes. But do I “love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me” like it says in Matthew 5: 44, no. This isn’t a fun thought, it goes against what our heart tells us most of the time because we are sinful and people hurt us.

I also think about it terms of marriage. Marriage is not always going to be equal. Some weeks, you might feel like you are carrying 75% of the burden, and some weeks your husband might feel that way. Love isn’t about keeping track of who did the dishes when, or cleaned the house last. These things can come in-between your marriage so quickly. It is easy to become prideful in who did this and who did that. But remember that Christ loves us unconditionally and that is how we are called to love.

We are called to be the “light” even in our marriage. We are called to serve without expectations even when it isn’t easy, when we don’t feel like it, when we don’t know the person in Target, when we have known them for years, or when they are our spouse. In all times and situations, we should try to conform to the image of Christ and show His light of unconditional love.