Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. – 1 John 4:11 (NIV)
How has God loved you? When last did you experience God’s love? How have you loved others because of God’s love for you? Have you experienced someone love you with a love that comes from God? What was it like?
Just recently a couple in the church wanted to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary. Since I am not quite yet 30 I have no idea what it must be like to be married to someone for 65 years. It is always great to go visit them, and hear the stories of how they met, their life together. I have discovered that in 65 years there are a lot of stories.
A couple of days ago, just a couple of days before their 65th anniversary the wife had a stroke. She had been sick for awhile, but this brought her to the brink of death. All of the plans they had for a great party here at the church had to be abandoned, and as I sat with her husband as he held her hand he told me how sad he was that they were not going to be able to celebrate such a monumental occasion, he told me how sad he was to be losing his wife, and I felt sad with him.
As I sat with him, unbeknownst to me, God was working something out. Their daughter, two church deacons, and a chaplain who happens to be my wife figured out how to have the party at their house. Maybe the man’s wife wouldn’t be able to experience what they had hoped, but she was still alive so there was reason to have a party.
They came up to us after everything was set. Food was going to be delivered to the house, people would come play music, all the family was going to be there, it was still going to be a celebration. This was explained to her husband, and then the sweetest thing happened. He smiled and said, “I am so happy.” Then this near 89-year-old man began crying. And maybe there were some tears of sadness, but also there were tears of joy as he knew he was going to be able to celebrate 65 years with his beloved.
In the whole scene I saw the love of God. I saw God’s love in a husband’s love for his wife. I saw it in family and church family working together to ensure a celebration could occur. I saw what could have just been a sad event become a celebration. I saw people who knew of God’s love and thereby loved those around them. And because I saw love, I saw God.
Where have you seen love? Where have you experienced love? Wherever there is love, there is also God! The reason we ought to love one another isn’t just so we have another commandment to obey. The reason we ought to love one another is so that God can show up in situations where people wonder where God is. There was a cross where a man was condemned to die. Tortured and beaten before his execution many may have wondered where God was then… and yet God was there. An awful instrument of torture has become a symbol of hope through the power of God’s love. If God can do that, what else can God do where love is present? Let’s find out!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
No comments:
Post a Comment