Another week ends, and a new week begins. I am reminded just how much my knowledge doesn’t lead to loving. We had a session meeting last night. Even though we had talked about it during the day, and I had reminded myself an hour earlier…the hour still snuck up on me. We often meet in my garage/office for these things, which we did last night. Rich texts that he is outside, so I jump up and head to the garage. Its a disaster. Now it is regularly a disaster. It has lots of stuff in it right now, the benefits of renovation projects. But it is also a mess, because it is my boys video game room. When I got a projector last Christmas, I thought I would watch sports in there…yeah not so much. So being that it is the boys room, you can imagine its state. Cups everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. Crumbs of food everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. Coke spilled sticky spots everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. I was good with the cups and the crumbs, but the sticky, not so much. I began to spew out my frustration onto my boys. They quietly cleaned up fast and quickly left the room.

I know my boys. I know this is how it is, no matter my urging or whining. It will eventually end up dirty. It is the way things are. And in this moment, my knowing could have produced loving. A willingness to bear with them, to help them, to be compassionate. Alas, it did not. But this is a microcosm of our lives, isn’t it? Knowledge breeds what for you? Contempt, frustration, cynicism…they always do this…stoicism…stuff, stuff, stuff, just stuff it down so there is no conflict, no conflict, no conflict…maybe you just need a drink. Luckily Richard brought beer.

For our Lord, his knowledge of our sin and brokenness, led him as a war horse into battle to fight the things that beset and defeat us…sin, the devil, death. He has redeemed us, freed us by his great knowledge and great love. And we are now infused with his very spirit, to take all our knowings and respond in love. Love isn’t stoicism by the way. Or brutal honesty. You will be tempted to say that to yourself. Love is bearing, helping, entering…being present to the reality of sin, and the hope of the Gospel in real 3D people. There is this Psalm, where the psalmist says, you have kept an account of my tears; are they not in your book? The Lord knows us. He knows our wanderings and our tears, and He keeps an account, and then He enters in. The wonder of the incarnation is God is with us. God is one of us. God is present to us. His knowing creates present loving. May God have mercy on us, as we seek to deal with sticky floors in the same way.