Love Like Jesus

This is my command: love each other (John 15:17, NLT).

This has been a tumultuous year. As we approach the end of 2020, I’ve found myself reflecting on the events that have surrounded our lives over the past 365 days: COVID-19, the 2020 Presidential election, the Black Lives Matter racial injustice movement, shutdown of the economy, and a transition to virtual learning, among so many other things. If you had to describe 2020 in a word, what would you choose? Here are a few that immediately come to mind for me:

Isolation. Depression. Anxiety. Loss. Grief. Uncertainty. Instability. Fear. Anger.

Whoa. When I read that list, it’s not difficult to recognize just how challenging this past year has been for so many. I’m sure you can come up with a few additional words that may highlight your own personal stories of how your life has been impacted during a year marked by a pandemic, Presidential election and polarizing views, all which have led to an entire nation in discord. Many folks are out of a job. Small business owners are struggling to stay afloat or have, sadly, had to close their doors and say goodbye to a livelihood that they’ve spent many years and countless hours working toward. Healthcare workers are exhausted. School administrators, teachers, parents, and students have been on a rollercoaster ride since August as they’ve tried to make and respond to decisions regarding education. We’ve all been asked to adapt in ways we never could have imagined. And, at times, I’m sure we’ve all wondered how we would survive the uncertainty.

But God.

He has been my comfort in isolation. He has been my calm when feelings of anxiety start to creep up. He has been my joy amidst grief and loss. He has been my rock when I’m standing on unsteady ground. He has been my courage when facing fear. He has been my peace when my anger bubbles to the surface. Psalm 62:6 reminds me of the truth that cannot be changed, despite what my emotions may tell me: Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. If ever there was a year for our faith to be tested, I’d have to say 2020 is quite high on that list. However, when we stand on the foundation of Christ, despite what’s happening around us, we can choose love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As we head into the new year, I wanted to share a story that I believe reminds us all what it looks like to love like Jesus.

Let’s rewind back to mid-October for just a few moments. It had been an absolutely beautiful week of weather! Cool, crisp mornings followed by mid-to-upper 70s for the highs in the afternoon provided the perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the weather before Old Man Winter arrived. It had been a wonderful week filled with workouts and evening walks with a close friend as we savored the last few days of sunny, warm weather. Mid-week, after another long walk in the beautiful weather, my friend and I settled in to have some supper and catch up on a few shows we often watch together. By evening’s end, I had sneezed a few times and was feeling pretty congested. Mild congestion is not unusual for me that time of year, so with no other symptoms, I took some allergy medicine and went on with the rest of my week. By Friday afternoon, though, I had noticed my smell was off. During any other year, I wouldn’t have thought twice about how I was feeling as a change in smell is not uncommon with sinus issues. But, 2020. In an effort to avoid being a hypochondriac, but also wanting to be as smart and responsible as possible, I phoned a friend that’s a nurse practitioner to ask for advice about whether to get tested for COVID-19. After some discussion, I ultimately decided to play it safe and take the test on Saturday morning. Several days of waiting later, I was informed of a positive result and settled into a week of isolation. Fortunately, though I wasn’t totally asymptomatic, my case of COVID-19 was relatively mild and I’ve recovered well from what we know at this point. It was a truly fascinating experience as the mental stress of dealing with everything was nearly more difficult than managing the physical symptoms I experienced.

Who have I been around? Should I have picked up on something sooner? I did everything I was supposed to do—I didn’t go anywhere in public without a mask, I’ve significantly limited my group of close contacts without a mask, I wash and sanitize my hands at work constantly throughout the day. Oh gosh, I’ve spent time with a close friend every day this week—is she going to get sick, too? It’s going to be my fault. As my counselor once told me in the past, fear lies in the unknown. And, as you can imagine, my brain was flooded with so many questions, and of course, the enemy tried to use this as an opportunity to bring condemnation and shame.

But God.

That Friday night, while weighing the decision of taking a test and the ramifications that would follow if I texted positive, Jesus showed up in a text message from a friend. I’m a words-of-affirmation kind of gal, so when I picked up my phone and was greeted with this message, I knew it was from the Lord:

I love how intimately the Lord knows our hearts and provides exactly what we need in His perfect timing. Despite not knowing the best advice to give and the unknown outcome of her own potential exposure, she chose to be an example of John 15:17: This is my command: love each other. In the midst of an attempt by the enemy to incite fear, a friend chose to love like Jesus and that made all the difference for me.Throughout my week of isolation, I was reminded of the love of Jesus in many ways. Food, phone calls, a card from my parents, text messages, and most of all, prayer. I realize I was fortunate that my case was relatively mild, and I don’t wish the sickness upon anyone, but my experience allowed me to see Jesus in ways I maybe wouldn’t have otherwise.

Tempting as it may be to just turn the calendar pages to a new year and completely forget all about 2020, I hope this story inspires you to spend some time today reflecting upon how Jesus showed up for you this past year. In the presence of so much uncertainty and instability, we all need a little more love. Loving like Jesus transcends race, political party, socioeconomic status and any other classification “the world” uses to bring division. My prayer is that we begin 2021 by not only being more intentional to look for Jesus, but to pray about ways we can show love to others as we are commanded to do.