As we ponder our thoughts regarding Jesus’ love, we should also consider how that love guides us in those things we hope for others.  We must also recognize our world, in general, is not going to establish our priorities for us.

When our son was young, his city recreation soccer team made it to the championship game.  The coach told us he and the coach of the other team were going to get their heads together and choose a day and time for the final.  Their choice was Easter Sunday morning, during the time our family had planned on being in worship.  We decided we were going to worship as a family instead of participating in the game.

Please understand it isn’t that we thought it would have been a sin for our son to play on Easter Sunday.  Certainly, every Sunday morning is a celebration of the resurrection, and a man-made holiday should not rule us.  We also might have been able to find an area church with a Saturday service our son could attend.  Our decision was based entirely on a principle: we believed we had an opportunity to teach our children a last-minute decision by others that disregarded our practice of worship was no reason to change what we thought was most important.  Our decision wasn’t a popular one with the coach, and we had to push a little to secure our son’s year-end trophy that was given out at the championship celebration.  But it wouldn’t have mattered either way, and our son was a real trooper about the whole thing.

Fortunately, our son didn’t rebel against us and turn his back on the Lord because he was required to make a sacrifice.  He knew we weren’t in the habit of making his life miserable by preventing him from having fun.  In fact, we went overboard to make sure our church activities didn’t consume us and we encouraged him to enjoy all of the other opportunities God had given him.  It’s just that when God decided what was most important he didn’t send us a championship trophy.  Instead, He sent the Lover of our souls to die on a cross. Somewhere along the way we must decide if souls are as important to us as they are to God, and begin to look at our world accordingly.  What do the people you love believe is most important to you?  How does it affect the things you do to show them you love them?