Real love

"This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other." 1 John 4:10,11 NLT

After reaching the top of the steepest hill on the course of Saturday's Wonder Woman race in Kansas City, I looked back to see a young lady struggling to push an older single amputee woman in a wheelchair up the same arduous hill I had just conquered. Feeling the nudge of the Holy Spirit, I waited until they reached the top before approaching the pair. "You are so inspiring,” I told the woman in the wheelchair. “I just have to know. What inspired you to be out here?" At that, the woman smiled largely and pointed to the young lady, now struggling to catch her breath, who looked back to her mother and said, "I'm her only daughter and it's just the love... the love." And after chatting for a few more seconds and learning that the woman, who introduced herself as Lady Waters, was doing most of the work herself (moving backwards so she could push off with one leg) with her daughter there only to help on the hills and run alongside shouting words of encouragement, I wished them well and said, "You ladies go. You've got a finish line to get to!!" And off they went smiling, as I stood there fighting back tears. 

And you know, while you and I would probably do the same thing for someone we shared a mutual love with, I wonder if we would do it for someone that didn't love us back? Someone that might even hate us? Well that's exactly what God did for us when He sent his only “Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” to demonstrate to us, people that hated and rejected Him, what "real love" truly is. The “real love” that you and I are now called to show to others "since God loved us that much."

So look for ways to be a blessing to someone today my friend. Be willing to sacrifice your time, talents or resources with the lost whether they love you back or not. After all, could there be any better way to lead them to the foot of the Cross than by showing them what "real love" truly is?

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us the greatest example to follow of what real love truly looks like. Lord help us to love those around us in the same way that we might be Your hands and feet and lead them to the foot of the Cross by doing so. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!!!

Real love