Being Genuine

My boyfriend and I often have this conversation of how we want to be remembered. Of course, there are many things I want people to think of when they hear my name. I want them to remember me as the best President of the United States, or the best judge on the U.S. Supreme Court. I want them to think of my success as a lawyer. I want them to remember me as someone who was intelligent and witty. Yet all dreams and jokes aside, there is one thing I want people to think about when they think of me. I want them to remember for my sincerity.

I strive to be real and authentic with others. No matter what people think of me, I want them to know the real me. Of course I want them to think highly of me, but if not, at least know me for who I truly am. If I am the same genuine person in every situation, every person should know the same Zara, and the real Zara.

Whether you believe in a higher power or not, everyone wants you to be honest and sincere. However, I think my Christian beliefs just further this desire for authenticity. In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes about God's grace and how we are called to be in light of that. In verses 7 and 8, it says,

"But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine."

So not only are we called to excel in our faith and in love, but do this in a genuine manner. I'll be honest, even though I have this strong desire to be authentic, I'm nowhere near perfect at it. It's easy to fall into the trap of insincerity and hypocrisy. However, God calls me, and us, to something higher than that. He calls us to genuine love.

The Love of God

Have you ever thought of how much God loves you? Just imagine how much you love someone close to you--it may be a spouse, child, parent, or sibling. But God, He can love us more in one moment than they can ever love us in a lifetime. His capacity for love is much larger than ours. Romans 8:37-39 says,

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Did you catch that? Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Sometimes, our love for others fail. Sometimes, others' love for us fail. But His, it never fails.

When I was in Guatemala, someone made this concept real and evident to me. He quoted lyrics from an old hymn (which I had never heard) called "The Love of God."

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

These words are so powerful. The last verse gives you a picture of the vastness of God's love for us. We don't have to earn His love--He just loves us. In fact, 1 John 4:8 even says that God is love. So when you feel unloved, rest in the fact that God's love is truly all you need.

Love

With it being Valentine's Day this week, I thought I would talk about God's love--but after an eventful week, talking about loving others sounds more appropriate. Love is needed more than ever now.

For the week of Valentine's Day, I saw a lot more hate than I did love. Being involved in politics is not for the weak. Every day, I find more respect for legislators, as they get nasty emails and phone calls from rude people. The lack of respect in our society is not like ever before in history.

I believe if you ever want to get a point across, you must be kind. Yelling and being rude never creates respect. For some reason, especially in politics, we don't know how to have a civil discourse anymore. Arguing and yelling at each other becomes our first instinct.

But that's not how we are intended to act or who we are supposed to be. Like the picture below, we don't choose who is worthy. We aren't the judge. We should love others no matter what. God calls us to love others, regardless of beliefs. And that's the problem--a lack of God in society. As a Christian, it's still easy to stoop to their level. Following God's call to love others isn't easy, but it's necessary. In fact, John 13:34-35 says,

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

As Christians, we should show others God's love. If you aren't a Christian, I still feel kindness is necessary. If we ever want to get a point across, being nice and have a genuine, civil discussion, is the way you gain respect. If you want to be liked, you have to be nice. I always keep in mind a quote, which says, "No one will care how smart or pretty you were if you weren't kind." This couldn't be more true. People remember people for their kindness and love. So let's love and encourage others to love--no matter what time of the year it is, Valentine's Day and every other day.

His Letters of Recommendation

As I work my way through the New Testament during my time in Guatemala, God has taught me so many different lessons. However, a few things keep sticking out to me in the Gospels and the following books.

In 2 Corinthians 3:1-3, The Bible says,

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? ² You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. ³ And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Although I had read this passage before, I never thought much of it. However, as I apply for jobs, colleges, and scholarships, letters of recommendation are an important part of my applications. You want a good letter of recommendation for your applications. Although they are not you, and sometimes they do not represent you, they are able to give the other person a good idea for who you are and what you are like. So when Paul says in this passage that we are God's letters of recommendation, this is a big deal. Although we are not God, and we are nowhere near as perfect as Him, we are representing Him. Obviously this can be a bit of a challenge. However, there is one thing that is repeated over and over in the Bible to represent Jesus Christ: LOVE.

Matthew 22:37-39 says,

³⁷ And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

This is not the only time the Bible commands us to love God and love others. Up until Ephesians, it is repeated in Matthew 5:44, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 6:27, Luke 6:32-35, Luke 10:27, John 13:34, John 15:12-13, Romans 12:9-10, Romans 13:8-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, 1 Corinthians 16:14, 2 Corinthians 8:8, Galatians 5:13-14, and Ephesians 5:2. As a recurring theme, God has taught me how to minister to people both in Guatemala and back home in the United States. There is not much more to it than showing His love.

As I helped at Fiesta Navideña at ASELSI in Chichicastenango, I was reminded of this love by a little girl named Francisca. I was welcoming people, and out of nowhere, this little girl ran up to me and gave me a big hug. Although I had never met her before, she loved on me. Fast forward to five minutes later, Francisca and all her friends were looking at me from afar. Suddenly, I was attacked with hugs from about eight little girls. None of them knew me. None of them even knew I could somewhat speak their language. They didn't care that I had a different skin color. They didn't look at me differently or treat me differently. This is God's love.

Although I didn't get a picture with Francisca, I know she was in the crowd learning about God's love!

Regardless of what I looked like or if they knew me, these little girls showed me love. At eight years old, Francisca and her friends taught me what true evangelism is like. It is not always speaking with words about God's love, but instead through actions. As a powerful statement, God sometimes chooses children to be His letters of recommendation. I cannot think of a better choice.