Tag Archive for: John 13:35

Family On the Move

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John 13:35 — Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. 

The move nearly did me in.

First the engine blew, then the tire went flat, and before long, I was stranded on the side of the road. It took twenty hours just to limp the moving van into my new town.

By the time I finally arrived, my own car was sitting abandoned miles away, and I was too tired to even cry about it.

The next morning my phone buzzed. It was my radio friends. They wanted to know if I was okay. I didn’t have the energy to sugarcoat it. I told them everything: about my broke down vehicle and about feelings bone-tired and a little afraid.

Before I knew it, my friends came to my rescue. Not one or two people, but a small army of them. They showed up at my new apartment and got my car to a safe place. They carried boxes, lifted furniture, and encouraged me.

The funny thing is, I never asked. They just came.

And somewhere between the boxes and the laughter, one of them looked at me and said, “Brenda, you’re part of the family now. Your family is here to help you.”

Wow. That’s what it means to be the Church, isn’t it. It’s not a radio slogan. No, it’s real love on display. Sacrificial, supportive, and never missing a beat.

And it makes me wonder: how can I live that out for someone else? How many people are quietly stranded on their own roadside, too tired or too proud to ask for help?

What if we slowed down long enough to notice them? What if we showed up without waiting to be asked?

The truth is, every act of kindness and every burden shared preaches louder than any sermon ever could. Because what we call the body of Christ, I think that’s just another word for family.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When have you experienced someone showing up for you without being asked? How did that reflect God’s love?
  • Who in your life might be quietly struggling right now — and what’s one way you can “show up” for them this week?
  • How does being part of the body of Christ — this family of faith — inspire you to live more generously?
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Be Known by Love

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“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:35

The camp hall was alive with the sound of teenagers sharing their thoughts, struggles, and deepest questions. Their bell-bottom jeans brushed the floor; a girl with a braided headband tucked her knees to her chest.

A lanky boy with thick-rimmed glasses blurted out what everyone was thinking. “If love is supposed to fix everything, why does it feel like nothing changes?”

Their youth pastor, Peter Scholtes, had been listening from the back. As he stepped toward the wooden podium, he took a breath. He had no easy answer.

Outside the retreat, the world seemed fractured beyond repair. Tensions flared in the streets, communities splintered over ideologies. Even the church was not immune to the division. These teens carried that weight with them, and their confusion mirrored his own.

“I think,” he said slowly, “that the kind of love most people talk about is too small. But the love God calls us to? That’s the kind of love that can change everything.”

Hours later, after the teens went to bed, Peter sat alone in the makeshift chapel. The dim lights flickered, and the hum of cicadas filtered through the windows as he thought about their questions.

What could he give them—something that pointed to a love stronger than hate? He wasn’t trying to solve the world’s problems, but he felt compelled to give them something enduring. Pulling out a notebook, he began to write:

“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord 
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored 
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” 

The next morning, as the group sang the new hymn, the room seemed to change. Their voices wove together in a harmony that felt like hope.

Today, that same love still has the power to speak into the confusion and disillusionment of our lives. When the world feels too divided, too harsh, or too broken, remember that love is not passive. It is active, deliberate, and often sacrificial. Where can you choose to show that kind of love today? Who in your life needs to see God’s love through you?

 

 

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