Feelins’

The sermon today was about the two thieves who were crucified alongside Jesus. The pastor made two statements that really caught my attention.

The first was a quote from C.S. Lewis: “The devil of resentment is that it’s justified.” So true.

Second: “If I mortgaged our house to send my wife on a trip to Europe but stayed home myself, in most circumstances, you’d say I was crazy. Love doesn’t make us just want to do things for people. It makes us want to be with them.”

I was suspicious of the second one for several moments. I tend to equate love with austere altruism. I think I can safely blame this on being told over and over as a young’un that “Love is an action, not a feeling.” But, you know, I think he’s right. God doesn’t love us from a distance. The church is his bride and his adopted children. There’s something unavoidably “selfish” about love, and it’s pointless and foolish to try to get around that or to pick apart our own motives.