You know how to push buttons, right?

I don’t mean elevator buttons, though these can make things move. I don’t mean starter buttons, though sometimes things can get pretty explosive.

No, I mean the metaphoric buttons located on the hearts of people you know.

Often, those buttons are the people you most care about, the people that you have listened to enough to find out what they love. And what they hate. To know what team they cheer for and what song they loath. What little phrase, said with just the right inflection, can make them throw the remote in their hand through the double-pane glass across the room.

Now you know which buttons?

We’re going to see some of those people this week, people that we know we ought to care about. We know that, but it’s way more fun to get them started in a rant than it is to converse with them.

One writer used that image of provoking, of poking, of inciting, of stirring up when talking about love.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)

What if we put all our energy into figuring out how to help other people love and do the things that they are supposed to do? I mean, what if we devoted ourselves to knowing our spouse so well that we stopped doing those things that bother them? Even if we don’t think they should be bothered by something so trivial? Even if we are pretty sure that we are right about it? Even if it would take one extra step or one simple action?

Maybe we help them be even more loving rather than teaching them to be more patient. Maybe we provoke toward love rather than being provoking.