David Foster Wallace gave a speech to the graduating class of Kenyon College in 2005 titled, “This is Water”. You can google it to watch the entire speech, but for now, I think this quote by the author sums up its premise: The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over...
So in other words, it’s about loving people.
1 Thessalonians chapter 3 is about the very same thing. Paul encourages the people in Thessalonica to overflow with love for one another. There are people in my life who are easy to love and I know there are people in your life who are easy to love.
But then something like this happens every… single… day…
The coupon lady in the front of the line at the grocery store holds up the whole line and it takes forever and you’re thinking, “I just want to go home.” And they aren’t easy to love.
The older kids are in the little kid playground and they’re being way too aggressive and you’re thinking, “Go away.” And they aren’t easy to love.
The car in front of you goes down the whole length of Tapp Road at a whopping 20 miles per hour and you’re thinking… well maybe I can’t write that here. And they aren’t easy to love.
Ironically enough, David Foster Wallace committed suicide three years after that speech. One of a handful of people who was able to wordsmith this idea of “others first” in such a beautiful and relatable way, somehow spiraled into a seemingly “no way out” situation. Loving others, and loving life really, isn’t so easy.
Experiment by writing the word “overflow” on your hand. Look at it while you hand the cashier your payment and look at it while your hand is on the steering wheel and may you overflow with love.