Most of us have people in our relationship world that are pretty easy to love. We enjoy spending time with them and they enjoy our company. We are rewarded emotionally when we serving them. We often think like them and have similar values. It doesn’t take much to love them. There is very little emotional displacement in our lives. If every connection in our relationship world were this kind of connection life would be less stressful. Convenient would describe these relationships.
On the other hand, we all have people in our relationship world that are more difficult to love. Spending time in these relationships is draining. Serving them takes an emotional toll on us. They make think different than us. They may have different values. Loving in these connects displaces huge amounts of emotion. The love needed in these relationships could be described as inconvenient.
Jesus talked about convenient and inconvenient love.
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:46-48 (NIV)
Jesus’ idea of being perfect is not what most of us think. Being perfect is often thought of as ‘moral’ perfection. Living an upright life is important. Living an upright life is desirable. Being perfect though is about loving when it is inconvenient to love. Jesus said that loving only when it is convenient ultimately has no reward.
Truly loving happens when we allow the emotional displacement and allow our lives to be inconvenienced for the benefit and welfare of others. Truly loving is when time is displaced, money is displaced, and emotions are displaced.
Love is really only love, not when it is convenient, but when it is inconvenient.
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