The Love Dare - Day 7

The 'Loaded Gunderburger'

Where did love show up in my life today?  Well, I loved my exercise class -a 45 minute abs only class, which means it was brutal.  But I felt great when it was over.  I also loved the five and a half hour trek (with some friends) in search of the legendary 'Gunderburger.'  For the record, we not only found them (in Gunder, IA), but we bagged several and ate them on the spot.  I had the 'Loaded Gunderburger,' which is a pound of beef with cheese, bacon, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce.  I threw in a side of American fries as well.  And no, I did not eat all of my burger, though at least one of my trek-mates finished his!  I wonder what our doctors would say if they knew we were eating this kind of stuff!  In any case, I loved the trip and the companionship, and the burger was good too.

But, this is where you would expect me to add something about the Love Dare.  This blog, after all, is meant to stimulate people to practice the Love Dare - a 40 day exercise in loving people (our spouse, our neighbors, our co-workers, our classmates) the way God loves people.  We're trying to help each other "increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people" (1 Thessalonians 3:12).  1 Timothy 4:16 seems applicable on this issue, especially for leaders (Paul was writing to Timothy, a leader) and especially for me, today.  "Pay careful attention to yourself."  In this case, pay careful attention to your commitment to love people as God does.  The rest of 1 Timothy 4:16 urges us to "persevere in these things!"  This is where I fell short today.  I didn't persevere.  Instead of pursuing an active love, I just let things happen without a sense of purpose.  In exercise class, we're learning to press beyond our self-imposed limits, and I'm learning that I can push myself a lot harder than I had previously believed.  I think I need to learn that same lesson with regard to "loving one another and all people."  I can press this further than I thought I could.

So, my day was a not a failure.  I learned a good lesson.  Persevere in your love for people.  Tomorrow I'll pick up where I left off.  I'll not only finish the remains of my Gunderburger, but I'll also get back on track with loving people.  I  hope it shows - the love that is, not the burger!