As she looked up at me, with mascara streaked tears running down her beautiful face, she spoke these words: “He accepted me!” At first, her words did not affect me. I simply nodded, smiled and wiped away my thankful tears, knowing she was a new creature. It was not until later that her words returned to haunt me.
Over the course of the next few days, her words would flash through my mind unexpectedly. What did she mean by them? Was she really surprised that God loved her enough to save her? What has been her experience with love? True love, agape love.
After giving this much thought, I asked God to help me understand what she meant. It bothered me that she went so long not knowing the love of God as I do. Never in my life have I ever felt unaccepted or unloved by my Savior. Honestly, the thought never occurred to me that He would not love me or accept me. This is not because I think myself great or any such notion; I simply know God loves me.
Then, to compound the matter, she called me in a state of distress. She had a bad moment and said a few things she regretted. Hurt by betrayal and those that said they were “friends”, she had a moment of weakness. However, that was not the cause of her distress. Her pain came from thinking because she failed, God would walk away and leave her. Bam! It hit me! She thinks God is like many humans, who walk away from us when we have been wrong. Wow! I was shocked to say the least.
My heart ached so bad, I prayed and wept thinking about the hurt she has endured. I poured over the scriptures so that I could encourage her when those thoughts would come. I was comforted by God’s promises and His love. Now, I had to portray that to her.
6)For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7)For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8)But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Not only did Christ die for us, but He died WHILE we were sinners. He did not require us to be righteous before He offered His life. What this means for us is that He knew we were not perfect and we will make mistakes, yet He died that we might have life.
We put limits on God’s love. Our finite minds have a hard time wrapping around the fact that He loves us infinitely. We often compare our earthly love to His love, and truly, there is no comparison. I spent time trying to relate this to my friend. Using the analogy of a mother’s love to show God’s love still does not reach the immenseness of God’s love.
Finally, she began to relate. She saw how much God loved her and that He was NEVER going to walk away, even if she failed. However, it did not end there. Now, I began to wonder how many people, everyday, feel that God cannot love them. I imagine their pain, their emptiness, and my heart breaks. What can I do to show them? How can I help them? This is real. There are real people with real pain, who do not know about the love of God.
Back to the Word of God, we find our answer. I John 4:11, Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. It is that simple. We are to love one another. In word, in deed, in everything we do we must show forth God’s love. Otherwise, how will they know?
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