Today’s devotion is based on Week 1 of “Tough Love”: Sets boundaries! (WATCH HERE)
Love is tough when you are tired.
After a long day of work…it’s hard to help your spouse clean the house.
After a long day of caring for the children…it’s hard to be patient with one another.
After a long day of trying to figure out care for your aging parents…it’s hard to tend to your children’s needs.
The thought may go through our minds, “Go away. I’m tired.”
Love is tough when you are tired. But sometimes the situation needs your love, even when it’s tough.
Jesus had spent the day teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. He was welcomed into Peter’s home and was asked to help Peter’s mother-in-law who had a high fever. Without hesitation, this is what happened:
Luke 4:38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
Perhaps what is equally amazing is how complete the healing was. If you have been sick, you know that it is not easy…even after you start feeling better…to get up and entertain a house full of guests. But Peter’s mother-in-law did just that. She wanted to love her guests.
If that wasn’t enough, here’s what happened next:
Luke 4:40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.
A long day got longer.
Jesus did not shy away from those that were sick. He healed them. How many were there? We don’t know, but at the end of a long day, Jesus had to be tired.
But he didn’t stop loving the people around him…even though it was tough.
Why? How do we love when it’s tough?
Like Jesus, we realize tough love prioritizes others.
Tough love realizes that at the heart of love is selflessness, not selfishness.
Tough love is empowered by Jesus who loved us, even when he didn’t have to. Jesus prioritized us to receive his love.
But how can we show love when we are tired? How can we prioritize loving others when we feel we need time for ourselves?
Because tough love also is willing to set boundaries to ensure your heart, soul and body are cared for. The next morning, Jesus did this:
Luke 4:42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place.
To restore his mind, soul and body, Jesus would often take time to be with his heavenly Father in prayer, spiritual rest, and restoration.
Why? Because he knew that to love well he had to also prioritize time to be refreshed. Caring for himself enabled him to better love others.
Even when it was tough and tiring.
His example gives us reason to do the same. Prioritize others. Love when it’s tough and when you are tired…but also remember it’s ok to care for yourself, for in doing so, you will be better able to love others.
Apply: What is one thing you can do today to be recharged and refreshed so you can be ready to love others even if you are tired?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for always prioritizing us with your love. As you took time to care for yourself, help us to set a healthy boundary that ensures our body, soul and mind are recharged so we can better love others around us with your love. AMEN