“Is it more important to be right or to be loving?”
I ask her the question as she stands with her hands on her hips, righteous indignation quivering through every inch of her little body.
It seems an easy question when put in such stark terms, but which of us answers it correctly in each one of our little choices every day?
Certainly not me.
I find myself struggling with whether loving the person or desiring to be right is more important. I wrestle with the decision of whether having the perfect event or loving the person is better. I fight hard against the desire to let my agenda, my task list trump the to-do of loving the person.
Love God. Love people.
It is that simple. It is that hard.
Pride stands in our way. Desire for an experience to be amazing puts up a wall. Need to feel accomplished plants its roots.
Yet it truly is simple. Will we obey our own desires or will we submit ourselves to God?
“To be loving.” The answer barely escapes through her gritted teeth. She doesn’t want that to be the right answer.
I know, my darling. I know. I, too, want a different answer. I, too, want to protect myself, to protect my perceived interests and rights.
The trouble is that when you commit yourself to this God of power and love, you commit to letting Him defend you. Your job is to obey. In this case, that looks like love.
It is making yourself vulnerable in order to love the person. It is making yourself nothing in order to love the person. It is making yourself a servant in order to love the person.