There is a great contest of wills that takes place every time the staff of Arborlawn share a meal together that has been setup buffet style. We all stand around telling each other to go first as we strive to outdo one another with displays of grace and humility. Out of respect, we always try to let Rev. Verne Fuqua go ahead of us all. That is one thing we can all agree should happen. But Verne didn’t become Verne by going first, so he never does. So, once again the standoff resumes and we wait to see who will break first. It’s madness and it has to stop. So, now as soon as Verne refuses to go first, I step up to the front of the line. Sure, it seems rude, but I have decided we need to get the ball rolling so we can all start eating before the food gets cold.
There are situations where we want to be first and then there are times we rather someone else go first.
In personal relationships, we often would prefer the other person go first. Here are some things we want to hear the other person say to us before we say it to them… “I want to spend time with you.” “I love you.” “I was wrong. I am sorry.” “I forgive you.” “I’ll do the dishes.” By letting the other person go first, we protect ourselves. We don’t make ourselves as vulnerable. We are less likely to get hurt.
But when it comes to love and affection, God gives us another example:
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. The person who is afraid has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love because God first loved us.
1 John 4:18-19 [CEB]
God gets the ball rolling by loving us first and invites us to love in return. Because God’s love is unconditional, we can accept that invitation without fear of rejection.
If we want the world to be a more loving place sooner than later, we need to get the ball rolling. We need to love first. It can be scary to love first, but we know that whether or not others respond with love of their own, we will still be loved by God. We can be generous with our affection and love others first, because we have first been loved by God. What will you do today to get the ball rolling on love?
Prayer: Gracious God, all the love I have in my life originated from You because You loved first. Help me to love others more generously so that I might love more like you. Amen.
Written By: Nick Scott