Is Our Love Careless?

The chorus of an old blues song, "Careless Love" by W.C. Handy in 1925 or 1926 and sung by Bessie Smith and others has many versions referenced online, but the title came to mind a moment ago as I was thinking about the nature of so many relationships we have all seen or experienced in this checkerboard life, and, specifically, within the body of Christ. Different types of relationships may fall into this category, familial, friendly, romantic, or otherwise, but somehow my expectation on coming to Christ was much different. Instead, unfortunately, I have found very little difference between the relationships outside the church and so many inside the church. So many people come in and out of our lives through the years, especially if we move very often from place to place, as I have. I have been looking at old journals and seem to be constantly running across names of people I have completely forgotten, and I'm asking myself, who was this person? Why is this? "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold"(Matthew 24: 12).Is this where we are now? I suspect we are. "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" (2 Timothy 3:1-5) Unthinkable things Christians have done to each other just in the past five years and over such petty things. But we will all give an account to God of those things. "Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). I wonder whether "in the body" here refers to the body of Christ. This is an awesome prospect. I believe that when relationships within Christ's body have been destroyed, those involved will be called to give an account. "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way" (Romans 14:12). "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15). If this sounds like a riddle, perhaps it is, or could be. The enemy comes as a wrecking ball into the body of Christ, creating rifts and splits and betrayals as heartless as what we see in the world, and everybody looks the other way, that's just how I see it. We think "it will all come out in the wash." When is that wash supposed to take place? When, where and how? We do have to keep on walking, keep on following Jesus and coming before him in humility and contrition. God can bless us then. Our relationships can't be like the relationships in the world, all engaged in for selfish reasons. We must learn to walk as members of the family of God, not like deceived and deceiving. God is watching. God is present. And he is very interested in us holding up our end of the deal. "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).