Ephesians 5:1-2
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Several summers ago, my cousins gathered at my house one afternoon to make new pillows for our porches. My cousin Olivia, (who was then about 14) had learned to sew, and since osteo-arthritis makes sewing difficult for me, I somewhat “passed the torch” to her. I suggested that I order fabric and supplies and talk her through the actual construction of these pillows. Olivia brought along her grandmother, Janette, who is like a sister to me (and also an excellent seamstress)…and later, her mother also joined us to help with the final stuffing and stitching of the pillows.
As we put together the first pillow, I showed Olivia what to do – how to guide the fabric through the machine feed and catch all the layers, and how to make the corded trim for the edges. Janette said to Olivia, “Watch her hands. Pay close attention to how she moves the fabric along. Don’t just think about sewing the material together…watch her hands and how she works it.” I have thought about this several times since. As I taught Zola to crochet, she watched my hands and how I made the stitches. Now as she crochets, I see a lot of my actions in hers.
When I showed the children how to make my grandmother Polly’s homemade bread and rolls, I demonstrated how to work the dough and flour. I probably even said to them, “Watch my hands.” And as I read this passage from Ephesians 5 today, I heard God saying, “Watch My hands.” God wants us to watch what He does, and then do it. He wants us to love others, just as Christ commands. God wants us to love to give, not to get…He wants us to treat others as we wish to be treated and love them extravagantly.
In other words, don’t judge, ridicule, exclude or disparage. Love with patience, grace, mercy, compassion, and abundance. Watch what God does and how He loves us…and “love like that” as Paul tells us. Just as there is so much more to making a nice pillow than simply sewing two pieces of fabric together, there is more to serving God than claiming to know and love Him and follow His commands. The proof is in our words and actions…and plenty of people are watching! As we watch God and mimic what He does, let’s remember to demonstrate the love of Christ at every turn. Watch what God does…and then you do it! Alleluia!
©2023 Debbie Robus
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