Page 6 - Grace.SUMMER.2021

~ John 15:12 - 13
Is there a Love that is more than a feeling?
Can love only give, never receiving?
Is love a choice, and not an emotion?
And can love not waver like waves in an ocean?
I once had a dream that God stood before me,
I almost retreated, feeling filthy and unworthy.
But His eyes saw beyond my sin and my
shame,
His love drew me closer, as He called out my
name.
He saw only who He had created, beautiful
and perfected,
My faults and my sins were erased, undetected.
His love had no expectations or requirements to
be earned,
His love was all giving, asking nothing in
return.
I then wanted others to have what I had
received,
A Love far greater than I ever believed.
Was it possible to love others as He loved me?
Was I capable of giving that same love so
freely?
I then saw a mother love a wayward child,
One she thought was lost to the wild.
Nightly she prayed for him, kneeling by his empty
bedside,
Tears running down her face as the years passed
by outside.
Her hope finally fading, she sees her front door
creak open,
Her child stands before her, and no words are
spoken.
She just pulls him into her arms, and he sinks into
her embrace,
And when she tells him he is loved, his pain is
erased.
Then I saw two best friends suddenly disagree,
Arguing over nothing, each friend becomes the
enemy.
When one looks left, the other looks right,
Pointing out the other’s wrongs to continue
their fight.
With bitterness and anger, the chasm grows
between the two,
Not speaking or visiting, they forget the friend
they knew.
Then a fleeting memory of their past friendship
comes to the mind of one,
And slowly the anger begins to thaw, and the
unforgiveness is undone.
The friend decides to visit, not knowing what
to say,
And discovers the other has been sick at home
for many days.
Deciding to help, the friend stays and prepares
a meal,
And returns each day to provide care, until the
other is healed.
As each day passes, each offense is slowly let
go,
And gradually their friendship is mended as
respect for each other grows.
Laughter replaces where complaining and
arguing once divided,
And soon the former enemies are friends once
again united.
I then saw it was possible to love without end,
Requiring nothing from the other and
continuing to be a friend.
Through disagreements and sorrow, betrayal
and loss,
I could still be there for another, no matter the
cost.
Then a gentle Voice whispered quietly in my
ear,
Lovingly telling me what I needed to hear,
“As I have loved you, now you can love
another without end,
For No greater love is there than this, than
to lay down your life for a friend.”
7