My friend Elizabeth was the kind of person who went all out for people. At baby showers she didn’ t buy off the registry. She made special blankets by hand for each new mom. You could often hear her laugh across the room after church services as she talked about her kids or her Lord. She filled a room with her smile and a contagious energy.
Last Christmas Elizabeth unexpectedly passed away. One day she was her exuberant self, and the next she was gone. Her entrance into heaven has caused me to think a lot about going all out. We serve a God who goes all out for us. I love how He announced the birth of the Messiah. Our Father definitely made a big show with a host of angels on a hillside declaring the good news that He was sending a Savior.
One of the cool things to me is that the Lord went all out for shepherds. They were poor, dirty, and often outcasts of society. These are the ones God went all out for! The lowly shepherds got to hear the news of the Messiah’ s birth in an incredible way long before religious leaders or those the world values as important.
As I reflect on God’ s extravagant love, I wonder how we can follow His example and go all out for others? Elizabeth did it with homemade blankets and encouraging words. This meant taking extra time and energy to make others feel special. In order to go all out for people in our lives, we’ ll need God’ s Spirit to guide us in the who, how, and when. We can’ t go all out for everyone. In order to love my husband extravagantly, I might need to scale back time with my friends. To go all out for a person in need, I may have to sacrifice in other areas.
My mentor, Deb, has loved me extravagantly for almost twenty years. She is generous with her time and wisdom, and she loves to spoil my family. Going all out doesn’ t necessarily mean spending more money. It’ s not the American motto of bigger, better, faster, and more. Instead, going all out means sharing God’ s love with others in a way that is meaningful to them.
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