Mike Paschall . com

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.” Proverbs 10:12, NAS

I’m convinced that there is nothing more confusing to the world than the message of the Gospel on the lips of people who have anger and hate in their heart.  Even our zealous control and any disposition towards that not “in” agreement with our theology or brand of spiritual knowledge has to be perplexing to say the least.  We have the best news in the world market, but we don’t seem to be able to deliver the goods on the appropriate plate.  Love is still the core of the message and until we can figure out how to lead with love, it might be best that we keep our efforts of evangelism and propaganda inside our own tribal backyard.  We have so much to learn from the unconverted about how to lead with love.

“Love covers”.  The word is kâcâh, kaw-saw´ and it means to plump up, fill up the empty spaces, or protect with concealed safety.  People have gaps that are reserved for love.  When our life is enriched by the “stuff” of love, we can be changed deeply with lasting effect.  Nothing touches us like love.  Nothing reveals the God in us like being love to someone else.  The number of ways to express such love is without containment.  When love shows, it’s almost always a surprise of some sort.  Thus, the power of its appearance can be stealthy, but deeply effective.

Paula D’Arcy tells the most amazing story about a transition she made from Texas to California.  She had her Hill Country dream home for sale for about seven months as she prepared her heart for this new thing that God was asking of her.  Everyone in that small town knew that she was trying to get on with the mission, but she really needed to sell that home.  Paula’s travel ministry had gotten crazy and she had come home for a couple days to wash clothes and open mail.  She stopped by to see her acupuncturist for a treatment.  He lived two hours away and worked in her town only a couple days a week.  When she entered the waiting room, Dr. Ho, who was Buddhist, greeted her in the waiting room and asked her if she had sold her house.  Paula had grown weary of the question.  He briefly told her, “I think I would like to buy your house.”  She thought little about the comment and took her treatment.  She had had many discussions with Dr. Ho about the philosophy of life, love and what it means to really live.  They had become close.  When she went to pay her bill, he asked when he might see the house.  Later that evening he dropped by and walked through the house, but never really said much about the layout.  After a couple hours he said, “Paula, I think I will buy your house.  What do you need to realize out of this transaction for you to go and do what you believe God has asked you to do?”  Paula explained, “That isn’t how it works.  I have an asking price.  We bargain.  We make a deal.”  He asked again, “What do you need to realize out of this transaction for you to go and do what you believe God has asked you to do?”  Then he added, “I think it is better for you to go and do what you believe you are supposed to do.  My wife and I love you.  That means that we do what we can for you.  Keep the keys.  The house is yours to enjoy as you can, but you need to go.”  Dr. Ho took a third mortgage on a home that he had no intentions of ever living in!  There is no way to explain this except…  Love blankets!

-MDP-