Love Heals by Jiewon
I'm feeling overwhelmed once again by the enormous love God has poured out upon me and the healing power, which comes from that. Yesterday, a physical therapist friend of our daughter's came over with her essential oils and said, "The Bible instructs us to anoint one another with oil. I've brought some of my oils and would just like to pray over you and love on you." Frankincense, bergamot, lemongrass, marjoram, lavender and geranium oils were rubbed into my feet and head as this young woman who loves Jesus gave of her time and resources to love on a stranger.
May all our eyes be opened today to those in our path who may just need to feel loved.
When Jiewon was visiting, I asked her to use her talents as a writer to try to put into words some of what I was feeling related to how God's love is poured upon us through others. Enjoy!
"In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."
Ephesians 2:22
In the week before my trip to Nashville to visit Mom and Betty Ashton, I received a bible study workbook on Ephesians from a new community group, entitled "Adopted: Children of God." That week's chapter focused on our identities as "cherished works of art." The chapter in the following week, which was the week of the trip, addressed our identities as "cherished members of God's family." Once again God confirmed: "You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways" (Ps. 139:3). He knows the events in our lives in a most personal manner, such that the timing of things blows us away and moves our hearts with His love.
These were the discussion questions in the chapter on members of God's family:
"What people are you invested in?"
"Why are you invested in this group of people?"
The family through Christ's bloodline and the family through biological bloodline were the first and second on my list. The blood of Christ that unites God's family runs more deeply and ever-lastingly than any other group in which we can invest. The Father sent Jesus so that those without family may find His love in the family of Christ. He sent Jesus so that broken families may find hope in the bond of the family of Christ. He sent Jesus so that those with the gift of having wives, husbands, children, siblings, and parents on earth may find reason for forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing. He sent Jesus so that those with family members who are lost without knowledge of the Lord may find courage to pray for redemption.
On the last day of my visit, Mom sat me beside her and professed the power of love to heal. Indeed, we invest in the people whom God has placed in our lives and also attend to the multitude of strangers we daily encounter, because God first loved us. We love because He considers us adopted and cherished, being built together into a dwelling place for Him. Whether cooking meals, giving others rides, sending flowers, driving through the night to see a loved one, singing the Lord's praises with a lady at a store checkout counter, playing with children, or crafting and painting to make a memory, these gestures of love strengthen us so that we may magnify God's divine love.
