Our Greatest Opportunity

Love is our greatest opportunity. If we want to see people change, if we want to influence their futures, we’re to love them profoundly. ~Andy Stanley

As followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to love as He has first loved us.  I have two dear friends who share the same favorite bible passage:

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38,39 ESV

He loved us first.  And what an amazing love He has for us.  Nothing I do can separate me from His love because I am in Christ Jesus.  His love is in me.  Even when I don't feel it.  Even when I seem unable to live it.  Even when I am unfaithful, this promise remains.  Nothing can separate me from His love.  I understand why my dear friends both claim this passage as their favorite.  What comfort!  What reassurance!  What responsibility we then have, as His followers, to demonstrate His love to others.

Although this reality of the love of God is often difficult for me to grasp, I can understand it more clearly when I look into the eyes of a child.

 Somehow, when I look into the eyes of one of my precious children, I get it!  I can better grasp it.  Because, you see, I can't imagine anything that a child of mine could do, or not do, that could separate him from my love.  My love is far from perfect.  My love doesn't hold a candle to the love of God.  But the love I have for my children is very real and I can't imagine withholding it.

I have at times imagined scenarios that cause me to ponder how I might respond to my children.  I have considered bad or sad choices that they might make.  (God knows I know about such choices.)  And yes, sometimes I allow myself to be fearful of certain possibilities.  None of us want to be devastated by the choices of our children.  Still, I cannot imagine any possibility in which I would be able to withhold my love from them.  I would rather not breathe.  

God's love for His children is endless and it is fully and completely perfect!  He is able to forgive with no reservations.  He is love himself.  And as He so freely promises that nothing can separate us from His love, we realize that we have a responsibility toward others.  As Andy Stanley stated, we have an opportunity...to love them profoundly.

One of the things we talk about frequently with our children is love.  Any of them will tell you that they often hear me and their Dad saying: show love, show kindness.  We want them to see love our too.  It is my hope that they feel our love toward them in tangible ways.  It's not perfect and it's not complete, but it's there and I want them to know it without question.  We recently decided that we could help our children learn to show love in a more tangible way.  That as followers of Christ, we could do something more impacting.  We began sponsoring a child through Compassion International.  The excitement and joy on our children's faces as we made this decision together was priceless.  They began drawing pictures and making origami for this child long before we received our welcome packet in the mail.

They now have a friend in Haiti to love and pray for.  This has opened up several discussions about showing God's love.  We cannot do everything.  But as a family that has the privilege of being regularly reminded of the love God has for us, we can definitely do something.  We all can.  When we realize the depth of His great love for us--and that nothing can separate us from it--we have to do something!  We have a responsibility.  We have the wonderful opportunity to share His love.  And how much it makes our whole family smile that our special child to sponsor, love, and pray for is named Lovelie.  She is our constant reminder of the depth of God's love for all of us.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  We might not be able to fully grasp this great love, but we can do something.  Let's share that love.  Let's teach our children to share that love.

I'm having Coffee For Your Heart with my friend Holley Gerth today.

Congrats to Holley on her new book, You’re Loved No Matter What: Freeing Your Heart from the Need to Be Perfect