Love

Love….  What does that mean?  Does it mean loving someone when they have a smile, a good attitude, an amiable disposition??  Well, it certainly makes it easy when that’s the case.  What about when the one before you is at enmity with you?  What if they have no concern for you?  That changes the readiness in which we extend our friendship, doesn’t it?  Isn’t it amazing that God chose to love us in our sin???  The Bible says “while we were sinners, Christ died for us.”  He didn't wait till we were all washed and clean and sparkly on the outside.  He reached His hand down, found us in our dirt and filth, and extended His LOVE.  That humbles me.  He knows what we are, knows our shortcomings, knows our impatience, our inconsistencies… and yet, He LOVES us.   I think this time of year reminds me of how frail human love is….how it hinges so much on other people and their actions.  It reminds me that even the human loves that we view as strong are so fragile compared to His LOVE and what He daily extends to us...loving us the same no matter our failings.  Valentine’s Day takes me back to the greatest gift of LOVE ever...God giving His Son for us –in our sin and Jesus accepting our  guilt and shame and dying for us-in our sin.  It makes me stand in awe of Him and such a perfect LOVE.