Nice or Love

Chris and I were having a conversation this morning about niceness. I always thought that to show love to someone meant being nice to them. That if I wanted to show the love of Christ that it meant to make that person feel good. It's sounds silly when I put it that way, but in the moment, that's what feels right.

But as I learn about the love of God, I am confronted with the fact that He is not "nice". His love is fierce and jealous. His love drags me to Himself, sometimes kicking and screaming. His love is confrontational and "in your face". He sent His only Son to His death, out of His love for me. Does that sound nice?

So why do I think that I always need to be nice and not hurt anyone's feelings? I'm sure I could find something or someone to blame it on, but the truth of the matter is, if comfort is my god, then I impose that internal law on others. If I see my sister in Christ headed down a path of sin and pain, should I be nice and support her in that choice? Or should I tell her that she is messing up? Which is love : to cheer someone on as they walk out in front of a bus? Or to tackle them and drag them out of harm's way? If it was me walking out into the road, I would want someone to tackle me. Sure I might get bruised and scraped, but I'd be alive. And if that person I love rejects me because of it, do I quit loving them? Does God quit loving me? God's grace gives me the ability to put the pain in perspective.

The difficulty comes in when I consider my own sin. Who am I to point out someone else's sin? Answer: a fellow sinner saved by God's grace. In that place, I come in love not condemnation. I come wanting to listen and enter into that person's life. If that person is just annoying and I want them to stop it, I don't want to enter into their life. And that shows me that I don't love them, I love me. But when I long to share their pain and push them back into the arms of God, that is love. "Nice" doesn't even figure into the equation.