Hope Changes Everything, by John Boring #BlogParty2011

I'm so honored to get to introduce some of you to a dear friend of mine. John Boring has become very special to Stephen and to me over the past year or so. His writing inspires. His life encourages. And his warmth and hospitable spirit have captivated us both and made us his life-long friends and fans. He loves hugs and pie and people and his bride and friends and, most of all, Jesus Christ.

I asked John to join the blog party and was thrilled when he said "yes!" He shares with us a topic, not directly connected to our theme of "Hope Changes Everything," but his contribution here definitely conveys this theme. See if you don't see the dots connect....

Meet John Boring...

I’m not quite ancient and wise but I’m heading there fast.  Each tick of the clock takes me one second closer to where I can say I’m now a wise old man.  You don’t get to be considered old and wise, or even old and foolish - and get away with it - unless you put in the time. There’s no such thing as a venerable teenager, and no one listens to what a wise twenty-something has to say, but we all respect the sage old man whose words carry wisdom and experience.  I’m about to become that kind of man. I turn 80 in November.

LOVE

So, anticipating how wise I’ll be in a few months, let me jump the gun by telling you now what I consider to be the best advice I can give anyone.  Love.  Love everyone and love them well.  Let love rule your life. Give love generously and receive it graciously. Hand out love as easily as you would party favors but make it the kind of love that sticks, that can’t be ignored or destroyed, the kind of love that matters.  Love others the same way that God loves you; intentionally and relationally, without reservation and forever.

It took me 73 years to understand that advice and I give it to you here so that you don’t wait as long as I did to understand the power and the beauty of loving others.  Love is the great life-changing element that God placed inside each of us long before this world ever existed. He meant for us to share it with others and when we didn’t get that idea, He sent us His only son to remind us that love was His message.  One of the last things that Jesus had to say to us while He walked this earth, was for us to love others as He has loved us.

But, I’m not simply talking about spiritual love, the kind that Christians are supposed to sow and reap like farmers in a field, but also about the relational love between friends, lovers and families.  Love needs to be brought out into daylight, not hoarded in the darkness or kept locked up as a prized possession.  Love needs to be paraded openly where all can see, put on exhibit, waved like a flag, worn openly and proudly as you would a favorite blouse or shirt.  Love needs to be kept polished and bright and daily use will keep it that way.  Love needs to be shared with loved ones while they are here to appreciate it, not brought out only at funerals.  Love needs to flow from us as easily as water from a spigot and distributed to those we care about, not allowed to simply run into the drain and be lost forever. Love is more than a word it’s also a way of life; love can be seen in how we act, the things we do, the way we live.  Love is so many things but to us it’s what sets the quality of our life.  When we love, we live large.

Love is meant to be shared for it is meaningless if you keep it to yourself.  Love is especially valuable to your parents, your siblings and your children.  They need to know and believe that you love them.  Of course, you definitely need to give love to your sweetheart for the more you give to him or her, the more you will get in return. That’s the beauty of sharing love; the more you give, the more you get.

For many years I was a pretty self-centered guy, capable of love but using it best when it suited my purpose.  That was during a time when I considered myself to be a Christian but I really didn't understand the meaning of the word. It was only after I came fully to Christ in 2005 that I discovered what love was all about and how powerful of a force it can be in our lives.  Now, as a soon-to-be venerated, respected, wise, elderly dude, I am happy to pass on to you this valuable lesson that I learned about love and loving others.

So,  there you have it, but with one final thought:  You love others more easily when you have the love of Jesus in your heart.

Much love,

John Boring