All You Need Is Love

When I first started reading the Bible, I was seeking for a sort of identity. I was in middle school, lost, didn't know who I was supposed to be.

I thought that the Bible would have all the answers. It'd tell me what I should do and how I should act; it'd give me a checklist of traits that will define me a Christian. As I read, I discovered that it did.

It told me that I should be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (James 1:19). It told me that the "fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). Basically, it gave me the checklist I was looking for.

I was excited at the prospect of having someone to be. I would be a Christian, and I would become the best Christian I could. However, the long checklist eventually overwhelmed me. It seemed like there is a "correct" reaction to every scenario, a "correct" thing to say in every conversation.

It seemed like a lot of thinking and a lot of self-asked "WWJD" questions. It seemed like a complicated test that I didn't want to get wrong answers on.

So I didn't really over-think this for a while. I still read my Bible occasionally, and I still thought about some of the "checklist" verses.

This fall, I started a new devotional, Bible-study guide. One day, they talked about "attitude". It was an attitude towards everything, towards people, towards life, towards God. It was an attitude a follower of Christ should have.

They summed it up in one word: love.

As I thought more and more about it, it made sense. It also un-complicated that "checklist" I had. I didn't need to have a "correct" reaction to every scenario or a "correct" thing to say in every conversation. I just needed to have love in my heart.

Many times, I sin because of anger, jealousy, or something human like that. I make malicious comments that hurt people more than I thought it would. I wish awful things upon people I didn't like. Haven't we all had those moments?

There was a cello boy in my recital that I disliked quite a lot. He had an ego bigger than his cello and a personality that just screamed "annoying". I first met him at the regions orchestra, and ever since the first time he bragged of how he is the youngest cello and how he should have made first chair, I took an immense disliking to him. What made matters even worse, as I learned during our first joint recital, was that he was a pretty talented cello player.

He was rude and immature and I just couldn't stand him. I'd find myself wishing that he would mess up as he plays and find it difficult to to say "good job" to him with complete sincerity afterwards. I wanted to make mean, sarcastic comments to him because I just did not like him.

During another recital after that one enlightening Bible-study, I was still wishing he wouldn't be so annoying and that he would mess up. Suddenly, I remembered the "attitude" I should have. I decided to try it out.

He actually looked like one of my best friends (albeit 5 years younger), so I imagined him as him. I asked myself, if it was L playing the cello, so young yet so talented, how would I feel?
I knew the answer. I'd be so proud of him. Watching him so accomplished and so engrossed in his own music, I'd be so happy for him. Seeing his confidence, I'd want him to do whatever to keep it.

And suddenly, it's like I'm seeing everything in a different light. I no longer wished the worse on the cello boy, and I could somewhat be happy for him for his accomplishments. And I realized that it's the same way for everything else.

There's a Facebook page that says "Once you start to dislike someone, everything they do starts to annoy you". It has so many fans because almost everyone can relate to that statement. We are usually more tolerant of the people we love. If someone we dislike made the same mistake someone we love did, we'd find our loved one's mistake much more forgivable. So if we loved everyone as Christ loved us, how much more tolerant can we be? It'd be much easier to be nice, to be sincere, because we simply don't have as much hate in our hearts.

I discovered that I didn't need the checklist, because if I can get my attitude right, the things on the checklist should follow naturally.

I've learned that truly, all you need is love. And if God's already given unconditional love to us, what else do we need?

Cut

"And you aren't a good example either."

Wow. That hurt.
Especially coming from you.