Stretched By Love

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12

I really detest anything having to do with Christmas before Thanksgiving, so imagine my surprise when as I was praying and studying for this week’s devotion when the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas popped into my head. Not one of my most favorite stories but I love the transformation that takes place in the Grinch when his heart goes from “two sizes to small” to “three times larger.” I also like how little Cindy Lou gives him the benefit of the doubt when she interrupts his thievery and even as he lied his way out of the situation. Her trust and the look in her eyes, in my opinion is where the heart change starts.

Paul along with his brothers in Christ had established a church in Thessalonica, but had to leave sooner than they would have liked due to the persecution they were facing. In Athens, Paul decided to send Timothy to check on the Thessalonians and encouraged by what Timothy has to say when he returns - pens his first letter to the church. In the majority of the letter he sharing how encouraged he is by the news and shares his desire to go and visit. In this week’s passage Paul is praying that the Lord would make their hearts grow in love, a love that would become so abundant that it would overflow into another’s lives and into the lives of the people around them.

That their hearts would become 3 times larger, 300 times larger with the love of Christ overflowing into everyone they encountered. Into the lives, possibly of those who may be persecuting them. Into the lives of people who were different from them. Into the lives of those who were separated from God by sin.

A bit later in the letter Paul reminds them to make sure their own lives are in order and that they are living lives pleasing to God, a sort of reminder that our actions can speak to the size of our hearts. This reminder seems to beg the questions – Are any of us in the position to cast the first stone? Is there something in our lives that needs to be removed or fixed before we dare tell someone else what needs to be fixed their life?

In the story, no one forced the Grinch’s two sizes to small heart to grow to three times larger – it was the spirit of the Who’s Christmas that drew him in and transformed him. We cannot change anyone, but if we love people with Christ’s love from faithful hearted stretched by that love, we can draw them to the cross where Christ’s Spirit can stretch their hearts and transform their lives too.

A Prayer
Father, thank you that your love for us stretches our too small hearts and fills out new hearts to overflowing. Forgive for the times when we forget all that you have done for us and withhold your love from the people around us who really need it. In those times when our own self-righteousness gets the better of us stretch our hearts with your love in a new way. In the name of Jesus who chose to love us when we were not worthy of His love – Amen.