February 25-26The silence in our bed said so much. My husband could tell my thoughts were far away. Lovingly he said, "You love hard, thus you set yourself up to hurt hard."
Expressing honesty to a very sick friend, I confessed, "I am worried about you." Her reply, "I am sorry, I don't want to cause you to worry." My response was that I would rather love to a depth that brings heartache and concern than not have experienced that kind of love. She agreed.
The weather was fabulous yesterday. I was tempted to gather a couple magazines and head to the dock to escape reality, but I knew my Jesus time needed to come first. Opening Solo, The Message, I was so thankful I hadn't missed God's love letter to me as he shared of a woman who loved Jesus hard.
Luke 7:36-47
One of the Pharisees asked him over for a meal. He went to the Pharisee's house and sat down at the dinner table. Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him."Jesus said to him, "Simon, I have something to tell you.""Oh? Tell me." "Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?"
Simon answered, "I suppose the one who was forgiven the most."
"That's right," said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, "Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn't quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn't it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal."
Solo gave this challenge on how we should live.
"Oswald Chambers said, "If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it."
"Think about the degree of restraint or abandon you show in your relationship with Jesus (and with others)." Solo, The Message
Think of who you love hard?
How does the depth of your love for Christ relate to that scenario?
