Inconvenient Love

Love, true love is sacrificial, often inconvenient, and reflects the nature of God. 
As we celebrate mothers particularly (but not only!) on Mother’s Day weekend for their faithful love in action we are also reminded that men and women are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).  Mothers are often characterised by their nurturing, protective, unconditional and sacrificial love — these are not just human traits but are reflections of God’s nature. 
The sacrifices mothers make often deny them many things—not the least being rest, comfort, and an easy life, while juggling multiple other things physically and mentally. 
Motherhood at its best is one of the clearest earthly expressions of God’s love—a love that is unconditional, undeserved and sacrificial.

In numerous scriptures, God uses motherly imagery to describe His character:
Isaiah 66:13: “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.” 
Hosea 11:3-4: It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms,but they did not realize it was I who healed them.4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love.
To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.
Matthew 23:37:Jesus says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing…”
Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;

These aren’t just poetic images, they’re revelations of who God is, and his nurturing love for us.

Unconditional and Undeserved Love

God’s love for each of us is unconditional and undeserved. What could we ever do to earn or deserve the love of the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in it? A fresh realisation about undeserved and unconditional love often happens during parenthood. 
When our children are born, they are helpless, vulnerable and can do nothing to earn or deserve our love. What they often bring to parents is sleepless nights and self-sacrifice, however, just as our loving heavenly Father loves us, we also love our children and will do anything to care for and protect them.

To parents, children are precious we love them without question, but there is often frustration, upheaval of our lives and routines, as children grow and develop, learn and test boundaries. We don’t love our children any less when there are challenges or any more when they start helping and contributing to family life and chores. It just doesn't work that way. Whenever they make mistakes, parents want to be the first ones they turn to for help, to hold them close, protect and guide them.

This helps in our understanding of God's unconditional love for us. When we are weak, vulnerable, make mistakes and mess up, He doesn't want us to run and hide from Him even if we don’t feel deserving of His love; He wants us to run to Him, ask for help, and receive forgiveness. God doesn't push us away. He holds us close, no matter what we’ve done.

We all reflect the heart of God when we love like He does – without conditions, without expecting anything in return, whether you feel like people deserve it or not.

A love like this is SACRIFICAL LOVE.  It’s costly, It’s inconvenient

Becoming a mother involves many types of sacrifices
• physical sacrifices during pregnancy, sacrifices of time, energy, finances, spontaneity, and privacy, the sacrifice of expectations around what motherhood will bring, what children will be raised in your care and what the future holds, the sacrifice of professional identity temporarily or permanently

Jesus spoke about the sacrifice of self to the disciples and crowds  in Mark 8:34-36. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life[b] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? “

The beauty of sacrificial love is that it forms Christ in us. It reflects God’s very nature to others.

Whether the loving sacrifice feels recognised or not, take heart that God sees your sacrifices.

Matthew 6:4 – “Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” 

In the bible: Sacrificial Love
Jochebed – The Ultimate Letting Go
Jochebed, Moses’ mother, literally gave up her child to save him (Exodus 2). 
Pharoah in Egypt had decreed that all newborn males of the Hebrews were to be put to death so that the Hebrews would not continue to grow in number and strength. Jochebed hid Moses for 3 months, then put her baby in a basket and floated him down the Nile and trusted God. She was willing to sacrifice for the sake of her child. 
It can be one of the most painful aspects of love is learning to let go. The children we are gifted with are also God’s children, and we are stewards of their care. We love them, teach them, disciple them and then entrust them to God.

Jesus – The Ultimate Sacrifice
Of all the stories we find in the bible of sacrificial love, none compares to the love of Jesus. 
John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
Jesus didn’t just love those who loved Him back—He loved sinners, outcasts, and even the ones who betrayed Him. 
Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
As disciples of Jesus, we are called to love others. Jesus tells us the most important commandments are to love God, and love others as He has loved us. He sacrificed all for us. This is not a call to be lukewarm or half-hearted about how we are to love others.  It’s a call to respond to Jesus, love as He did and share the gospel of love in action. Loving others is not just a matter of feeling, but of choice. 
In 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 Apostle Paul writes: “Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as minister of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

The gift of the Holy Spirit empowers us, and the Lord qualifies those He calls; he equips those who walk in step with Him. God wants us to depend on Him and not our own competence.

Loving others is easy when they feel lovable to us, when it doesn’t put us out or inconvenience us. For us to love like Jesus, we persevere when it’s hard, when we have to go out of our way, loving those different to us, who are not likely to love us back or even be grateful.

Loving others
Sacrificial love isn’t just for moms—it’s for all of us. Imagine what could happen if we all chose to love a little more like Jesus this week.

• Honor a mother, a mentor or carer today—through a note, a hug, or simply your gratitude. They make many sacrifices out of love for others. 
• Step into spiritual parenthood—mentor someone younger in faith.
• Love despite inconvenience—Who is in your street or neighbourhood, or work or in your family is God placing on your heart? Go out of your way to show your love for them – take them out for lunch, offer to help, send a note, honour them, celebrate them, pray for them. 
Sacrificial love is inconvenient, it’s uncomfortable, it’s costly. But it’s this kind of love that changes lives.

Discussion Questions
1. Who has shown you sacrificial love? What form did it take, and what message did it send to you? 
2. Have you tried to earn God’s love by doing good works? How do you reconcile the call to do good works in His name, while understanding God’s unconditional love for you? 
3. We are called to love God and love others sacrificially; despite the inconvenience it may pose. 
a. Have you ever held an expectation about a future event/circumstance or relationship that has turned out to be very different in reality? 
b. What are your expectations around people’s responses to offers of sacrificial love in action as we step out to bless, pray, encourage, support? 
c. What is the least comfortable setting that God has prompted you to reach out and show another person your loving care in action? The most comfortable? 
d. How might you feel equipped to respond to God in His call to action? 
4. Sometimes loving sacrificially involves letting go and trusting God. How has this been evident in your life and how and with who did you journey through this season? 
5. Who has God put in your life who needs your sacrifice of love to bless, pray, encourage and support? What will Jesus’ love in action look like?