By Mike Ballinger
Contributing Columnist
In John 13:35, Jesus said to His Disciples one of the greatest phrases of all time: “Love one another.”
My faith tradition and my faith community, along with many other religions, embrace these words of Jesus: “love one another.” However, there are many corners and areas out there, where there is no love.
Where is the love? Why do we not love?
Here are a few reasons why we do not love: We are tired. We get discouraged.
Others around us seem to have given up on showing love to others.
It amazes me, yet I am not surprised, when I talk to a stranger or even a friend who does not like someone. Or, even worse, a person will say they “hate” a person or some particular group of people. So, getting out there and loving others is not always easy. The love is sometimes just not there.
Please let me encourage you, on this beautiful Redlands winter day. We can love. We can do good and loving things. No matter what your faith background, doing acts of love and good is possible.
In Galatians 6:9 &10, Paul reminds us to “not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”
Paul reminds us in this passage that we need to get out there, doing little acts of love and good things toward others. As we do these things, we have a promise of a harvest to look forward to. The gardening illustration applies here: soil prep, planting little seeds, watering, pulling weeds, protecting our growing plants or trees from pests, patiently watching the growth, then we reap, and we enjoy the results of our harvest.
We are motivated to get out there and do these little things, because we have a harvest coming our way: “In due season we will reap.”
So expanding on the gardening idea:
1) There is always work to do in the garden.
2) Every little chore is worth doing (we have a harvest coming!)
3) We have to get out there and be in the garden.
4) The tiny little actions in the garden matter.
Think for a moment: How can we show and demonstrate love to members of our family, our friends, our faith community and our neighbor? What tiny, little, loving act can we perform today?
Living out our faith, whatever faith that may be, means we love one another and we do good in our community.
We are motivated. We have a harvest coming.
So, my Redlands friend, let us have a good day and let us encourage one another today.
Chaplain Mike Ballinger serves as volunteer chaplain at Redlands Community Hospital. Mike also served as the long-time Chaplain and Spiritual Care Director with Plymouth Village, Redlands. He also is a longtime member of the Redlands Area Interfaith Council, the board of directors of the YMCA of the East Valley and the Kiwanis Club of Redlands. He can be reached at 951-567-3629 and chapmikeballinger@gmail.com.
