Love Extravagantly

Love Extravagantly

“We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”

I Corinthians 13

Did you ever receive a very extravagant gift? During November and December of 1996 my husband was extremely secretive. He would go out on unexplained trips and have secretive conversations at church. Finally, late Christmas Eve afternoon I was sent to the bedroom with the door shut while he brought in the big surprise, covered in quilt after quilt so not one square inch of it showed. He was very pleased with himself and would not let me near the thing for the whole evening. The next morning at the very first light I padded to the bathroom (because that is what women do when they are great with child) and saw the light beginning to shine on the great monstrosity that sat in the middle of the living room. I awakened Tim and we headed to turn on the Christmas lights and start coffee. This was our first Christmas on our own and I think we were both a bit nervous about it measuring up to the other Christmases we had both known. Tim told me to open my gift. Carefully I removed the layers of blankets and quilts. Beneath the layers was a cherry wood cradle, lovingly handmade by a man in our church and my husband. The spindles were each hand-turned and the wood had been sanded to the texture of pure glass. The pieces were put together with wooden pegs, with no nails or screws used at all. It was exquisite. Tears leapt to my eyes. Money had been tight yet my husband had squirreled away the cash to buy this quality wood. Mr. Bill had literally spent hours carving and sanding and measuring to make this perfect piece of furniture. He had made only two before, one for each of his grandchildren, and yet he had poured out hours crafting this cradle for me and the baby in my womb. My heart told me that the hours he poured into this place that my child would rest her head were small compared to the hours he had prayed for the health of this child I had been told would never be.

The gift was extravagant. My heart was so full. I was loved extravagantly. This is the kind of love God lavishes on us. This is the kind of love He wants us to lavish on others. The dictionary says that extravagant is abundant and beyond what is reasonable. Most days we don’t have to wait for that opportunity. When I bake a pie for my husband when he was grumpy that morning, it is loving extravagantly. When I smile at the lady in the grocery store that has 38 items in the 10 items or less aisle and let her go ahead of me I am loving extravagantly. When someone lets me down once again and I continue to love them I am loving extravagantly. Something tells me there are enough relatives in most households this time of year to give most of us plenty of opportunities to love extravagantly. This Christmas why not find as many opportunities as you can to love others beyond what is reasonable. After all, isn’t that what brought our Lord to the manger anyhow?

Discussion Question
Who has shown me extravagant love? How can I show extravagant love to someone tomorrow?

Family Activity
Make a list of five people that you are going to make an effort to love extravagantly over the next few days. Go out of your way to love them better than they deserve. Enjoy watching them and their looks of confusion at your extravagant acts of love.