"This I command you: love one another." John 15:17
I just read a short little story about Mother Teresa. It seems that one day, she picked up a woman that was left on the streets to die. (She did this all the time!) The poor woman was covered with sores. She was angry, dirty and miserable. The woman began yelling and cursing at Mother Teresa as she carefully cleaned her wounds. Mother Teresa continued to gently cleanse the dying woman, until she finally began to calm down a bit. The woman asked her, "Who told you to clean me and care for me?" Mother Teresa answered, "My God, my God asks this of me." "Who is this God, what is His name?" asked the woman. Mother Teresa answered simply, "Love. My God's name is Love."
Our God is Love. He gives us unconditional love and in return He asks only one thing. . . that we love. He asks us to love the lovely, to love the unlovely, to love our families, to love strangers, to love our enemies, as He loves us. This is no easy task, and can truly only be done by and with His grace. But this much we know for sure, His love is transforming. Sometimes we long to do great things for our God and perhaps maybe someday we will. But for right now, this call to love is challenging enough. It is not enough for me to say I will love, I must live it. "Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth." (1John 3:18) If every Christian alive was determined to live this commandment, what would our world look like? I can only imagine.
Dear Lord, keep us faithful to your law. Help us sweet Lord, to grow in love and to grow in faith, and so change this world to be a place of beauty for You, as You intended.
May His peace be with you all,
lisa
