The novel, Lila, by Madelyn Robinson is a memorable, distinct, love story.
Lila is abandoned as a toddler, rescued by Doll, a young drifter, and raised in a poverty-stricken childhood with Doll's strong sisterly love.
Homeless as an adult, Lila's shelter from a rainstorm, is a church.
Lila and the minister marry, begin a new life, trying to avoid previous lives based on loneliness and abandonment.
The result is a weak marriage based on shared loneliness to provide comfort and life in a tenuous peace.
Being in love, according to Jesus, works far differently.
First, Jesus does not abandon his disciples leaving them orphans on the doorstep of a commandment.
Instead, begins by Jesus clearly defining the boundaries of that love:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you".
Being in love, according to Jesus, begins with being chosen by God to be in the world God loves which is probably why the word "Love" appearing 57 times in John's gospel.
So, at the end of each day, ask yourself: “In what ways did I or didn't I love according to Jesus?”
The hard part of being in love according to Jesus, is doing it.
Second, Jesus promises more than homelessness and seeking shelter in a storm try loving like Jesus.
The Holy Spirit,Jesus says, will nurture the disciples as they mature from learners to tutors.
Since God promise is Spirit being with disciples forever, everything the disciples were taught and experienced is equally available to us.
Finally, love according to Jesus is more than shared loneliness providing comfort and a life of tenuous peace.
Being in love according to Jesus, with the Spirit's presence, gives us new a purpose for living: to go and bear fruit in Jesus' name.
Think about it: Have you ever been lost or abandoned? If so, how did you feel and what did you do?
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