A Love Like No Other

Thank you Lord, that I woke up this morning.  Thank you, Lord, for the air we breathe.  Have you ever pondered on the fact that God makes the air we breathe fresh everyday?  As night draws near, the air becomes colder and in the morning the dew refreshes the air and gives life to the plants to endure the sun.  Even the air that we breathe out is valuable to the plants around us.  They need our carbon dioxide to survive.

How is it that we take all these details of life for granted?  Thank you, God that I have a bed to sleep in, while many, even in our country, don’t have one.  I am thinking about the homeless.  Thank you, Lord for the car I drive so that I can go to church and run errands.  So many people don’t have this luxury.  Thank you, Lord, for my sight to see the beautiful birds dressed in so many colors that brighten my day, or the smile on my husband’s face, and to see you in the monstrance in front of me.  Thank you God, most importantly for your love.

There is nothing or nobody that can take the place of Your love.  You love us all so uniquely because You made us unique.  There is no stone you would not overturn to show us your love, if we would only ask.  Your love took you to the cross, the cross of merciful love for who else would be able to endure the pain, suffering, torture, ridicule, abandonment and any other horrendous word I can write down, if it were not for love.

Love puts us in situations where, we would shield our child from an oncoming car without hesitation, never thinking of ourselves.  Love denies us of the food we so desire to eat because we need to give it to our starving neighbor.  Love puts us last in line when we stop to help a wheelchair bound person who is lost in the crowd.  Love never sleeps when a newborn baby cries to be fed.  Love never stops even when we sleep. 

Christ’s love is way more than all the examples I just mentioned.  He did the unthought of because only He would be able to fulfill the Father’s wishes.  Who else but God can do that?  What love is this?  This redemptive love that died on a cross to bring us back into the fold.  Like a shepherd who had one hundred sheep and would leave the ninety-nine for the one that was lost.  Just one, just me, just you?  The word, just, makes it seem trivial and illogical.  Why leave all those ninety-nine sheep for just one?  This is the depth of Christ’s love for He is not happy with just the ninety-nine, He wants us all. 

What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one^d until he finds it?^e  And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’  I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.   – Luke 15:4-7

Yes, this love is unheard of.  This love takes us way beyond our capacity.  Our love is full of selfish wants and desires.  Christ’s love is total humility.  Our little thank you never seems enough no matter how many times we say it.  The depth of His loves boggles the mind and the senses.  No matter how many prayers we say, no matter how many good deeds we do, no matter how much we love, God’s love will always surpass us.

So what do we do?  Let’s just let God love us and everyone around us by allowing Him to use us.  Let’s just do whatever He tells us to do without fear.  Let’s just love Him without reserve.

Give it all to Him, your worries, your thoughts, the state of the world, the state of the church.  He knows that sometimes you are anxious about many things that are out of your control.  Trust Him.  He is holding each and everyone of you in the palm of His hand.  You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.  Yes, you may lose your wants and desires but isn’t this the idea.  Give it all to Him.  We pray “Thy kingdom come, THY WILL BE DONE.  How is His will going to be done unless we give up our own will to take on His?

Jesus I trust in You, I don’t trust myself.  I have let myself down numerous times, but I do trust You.  Take baby steps and soon you will be running to jump in His lap.

I have this picture as my screen saver on my computer because I need the reminder.