Dare 15: Love is Impossible

It almost feels strange to be thinking about school right now.  Over the past 10 school days, 8 of them have been snow days!! Hence why there was no dare last week... I had no school last week, and it really wasn't on my mind!
So this week's dare is "Love is Impossible"  ... I am definitely skipping around in the book now... because I'm pretty sure the "Love Leads to Intimacy" one doesn't apply here. 
"Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."  1 John 4:7 

"The Love Dare starts with a secret.  And though it's been an unspoken element throughout each day, you've likely grown more and more suspicious of it all the time.  Now that you're this far, it's a secret you're discovering for yourself, even if you haven't exactly know how to put it into words.  
The secret is this:  you cannot manufacture unconditional love (or agape love) out of your own heart.  It's impossible.  It's beyond your capabilities.  It's beyond ALL our capabilities. 
You may have demonstrated kindness and unselfishness in some form, and you may have learned to be more thoughtful and considerate.  But sincerely loving someone [or in our case, a bunch of someones] unselfishly and unconditionally is another matter altogether.  
So how can you do it?  Like it or not, agape love isn't something you can do.  It's something only God can do.  But because of his great love for you--and His love for your [students]--He chooses to express His love through you. 
Still you may not believe that.  You may be convinced that with enough hard work and commitment, you can muster up unconditional, long-term, sacrificial love from your own heart.  You want to believe it's in you. 
But how many times has your love failed to keep you from lying, ...overreacting, and thinking evil of... [ your students ] ...? 
It's this failure that exposes mankind's sinful condition.  We've all fallen short of God's commands (Romans 3:23).  We've all demonstrated selfishness, hatred, and pride.  And unless something is done to cleanse us of these ungodly attributes, we will stand before God guilty as charged (Romans 6:23).  That's why if you're not right with God, you can't truly love your [students] (or anyone else for that matter) because He is the Source of that love.  
you can't give what you don't have.  You can't call up inner reserves and resources that aren't there to be summoned.  In the same way that you can't give away a million dollars if you don't have it to start with, you cannot pay out love in greater measure than you own.  you can try, but it will fail.  
So the hard news its this:  love that is able to withstand every pressure is out of your reach, as long as you're only looking within yourself to find it.  You need someone who can give you that kind of love.  
'Love is from God' (1John 4:7).  And only those who have allowed Him into their heart through faith in His Son, Jesus--only those who have received the Spirit of Christ through beliefe in His death and resurrection--are able to tap into love's real power.  'Apart from me,' Jesus said, 'you can do nothing' 9John 15:5) 
But He also said, 'If you abide in Me, and MY words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you' (John 15:7).  god has promised through Christ to dwell in your heart through faith so that you can 'know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the likeness of God' (Ephesians 3:19). 
When you surrender yourself to Christ, His ppower can work through you.  Even at your very best, you are not able to live up to God's standards.  But He 'is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us' (Ephesians 3:20) (my favorite verse!) That's how you love [your spouse, your students, people...]
So this unseettling secret--as defeating as it may feel--has a happy ending for those who will stop resisting and will receive the love God has for them.  This means that the love He has 'poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us' (Romans 5:5) is always available, everytime we choose to submit to it.
You simply won't be able to do it without Him.  
Perhaps you've never given your heart to Christ, but you sense Him drawing you today.  You may be realizing for the first time that you, too, have broken God's commands, and that yuor guilt will keep you from knowing Him.  But Scripture says that if you repent by turning from your sin and turning to God, He is willing to forgive you because of the sacrifice His Son made on the cross.  He is pursuing you, not to enslave you, but to free you, so you can receive His love and forgiveness.  Then you can share it with the one(s) you've been called most specifically to love.  
...
The truth is, you can't live without Him and you can't love without Him.  But there is no telling what He could do in your [life] if you put your trust in Him. "

So, all of that is taken mostly word for word from The Love Dare (Kenndrick).  It wasn't my intention to just copy what they said, but it was all very real and phrased much more precise than I could try to make it on here.  If you have any questions about any of it, please let me know. And your dare for the week will be to really examine where you are at with the Lord and to call upon His strength and His love to give you the strength to love your kiddos. 


Have a blessed week.