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Love Is a Calling

By Josh Morris

That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. —John 17:21 NKJV

Our phones buzzed at the same time, and my wife, Hannah, and I reluctantly glanced at our screens, assuming it would be something about work or possibly the kids needing something from us. But the very next moment, we realized it wasn’t that at all. We had just been invited to visit our friends and stay at their house—in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands! We love these friends dearly and would have gone to visit them anywhere, but we were also so excited about getting some beach time.

While we were in St. Croix, Hannah and I integrated ourselves into our friends’ families and daily lives. We experienced one of the best and most enjoyable trips we have ever been on, and as I was reflecting on the trip on the flight home, I realized we had witnessed something very special indeed.

For starters, I realized that while I glamorized life on the island, the truth is our friends are very hard workers. Yes, they made good use of the beauty around them, but they also had many hurdles to overcome in establishing a life there and many inconveniences we take for granted here at home. This is a family of extremely hard workers, and the laid-back island life I had imagined was far from the actual reality. They were in a daily battle, just like everyone else I know. The same kind of battle we are all familiar with—one where you’re creating your life, and things don’t come easy.

The second thing I realized is in the midst of the daily grind, and especially with the isolation that often comes with island life, our friends prioritize family in a way I will never forget. Every individual in their family has a strong personality, and they differ in their thoughts and beliefs and sometimes clash, as is common in every family. However, their priority always remains centered around their family and helping each other out. I watched as they sat at the dinner table and talked about difficult subjects while still having complete certainty that they were family and nothing would come between them. They are a blended family, but you would never guess it by the way they love and care for each other. Their commitment to family is about just that—commitment. It is not conditional, and because of that, there is a confidence that they will love each other and have each other’s back despite any minor disagreements they may have.

Make no mistake, we live in a harshly divisive time, and the world has come to know conditional love intimately. One minute you are loved, and the next minute you’re hated simply because your views vary from someone else’s opinions. This toxic worldview reiterates a feeling that love is conditional, and if you mess up or disagree with someone, you could lose it all.

There’s no question that we, as believers, are called to love the world and show them what the love of Christ looks like. And that certainly helps to remedy this fragile love that exists all around us. But there is one prayer—and only one—Jesus prayed that we can answer. In John 17:20–23, Jesus prayed that all of us as believers would be one with each other just as He is one with the Father. In fact, He says that when we foster this type of unity among our fellow believers, it stands as the testimony that Jesus is God and was sent by the Father.

This is a heavy calling and one we ought to take much more seriously. The fastest and most effective way of destroying a movement or a group of people is to get them to fight internally, so they rot from the inside. Then, by the time you attack them, there is no unity to strengthen them against the onslaught. This is what the Church has done in recent years as we have divided ourselves into more and more subcategories of belief. Now, we often distinguish ourselves not in the ways we are different from the secular world but instead in the ways we are different from each other. Unity is severely lacking in the Church, and because of this, we are not faithfully answering the prayer Jesus prayed for us.

As I watched our friends care for their families and find ways to express their love no matter the temporal disagreement, I realized they were standing as a true testimony to me of what the love of Christ looks like. They are a group of people who loves well and keeps family as a priority over all else. Maybe we, as the Church, could learn from their example in this day and age. Maybe we could start seeing believers as fellow family members and servants of the true king. Just maybe, if we can get there, we can start answering the prayer that Jesus prayed over us. This will be the sign to unbelievers and the thing that sets us apart from the world. It’s a thing called love, and we are called to be ministers of love so that everyone will know just how strong the love of Christ really is. It overcomes all things. Today, let’s choose to show the world who God is.

Prayer

Lord, we ask that You would give us the strength to love our family of believers even when it does not come naturally. Let us resist the worldly temptation to continue to divide and instead give us the ministry of reconciliation. May we answer Your cry for unity here on earth just as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For Further Reflection

1. What friends, family members, or public figures do you look to as examples of God’s love? What specific words or actions draw you to them?
2. How can you approach potentially difficult topics with love?