Unending Love

When Linda and I started elementary school, she in Indiana and I in Florida, I am certain neither of us had any inkling that seven decades later a little hymn we sang in Sunday School, “Jesus Loves Me,” would continue to inform our understanding of unending love. The lyrics first appeared as a poem in Say and Seal, a novel originally published in 1860: 

Jesus loves me—this I know, For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to him belong,—They are weak, but he is strong.

Jesus loves me—loves me still, Though I’m very weak and ill;
From his shining throne on high, Comes to watch me where I lie.

Jesus loves me—he will stay, Close beside me all the way.
Then his little child will take, Up to heaven for his dear sake.

After adding a tune and a chorus, it was published as a hymn in 1862. Well aware that it would take a library of books to address the love of Christ, and I only have eight hundred words, my thoughts will be focused on how His love can be experienced in marriage and Church:

Marriage

The picture accompanying today’s blog speaks volumes about Christ’s love in marriage. It was taken last Tuesday afternoon, immediately after the hairdresser had finished styling Linda’s hair. An hour earlier, I had learned that on three occasions, she had refused to go to the salon. Why was this time different? Her best friend and lover for over fifty-eight years said, “It is time to get your hair done.” Then, I took her by the hand, escorted her to the salon, and physically helped her get situated in the chair. After assuring her that I would stay with her, I sat down and, on several occasions, told her how pretty she was going to be when the styling was over. Upon finishing, the hairdresser asked her to smile so that she could take her picture, but Linda did not cooperate. She was not intentionally being difficult; she did not understand what was being asked. However, when I took her by the hand, told her how beautiful she was, and asked for a smile, the response was radiant. Obviously, there was nothing unusual about what I said or did. And, this is the point I want to emphasize:  Most of the time she doesn’t know my name or the nature of our relationship, but at a level beneath cognitive reasoning is a deep-seated love that Alzheimer’s has not been able to destroy. The smile on her face and the look of adoration in her eyes took me back to the moment when I, as a nineteen-year-old, was captivated by a desire to spend the rest of my life with the girl of my dreams.

Lest I leave the impression that we have enjoyed a fairy tale relationship, let me set the record straight. There have been some rough spots in the road! The snapshot of love that I have depicted did not suddenly occur. Rather, it grew over time because we were willing to let the Jesus we had sung about as children have free reign to discipline us as He saw fit. Was it painful? Yes! Was it worth it? Yes! How did it occur? Paul’s description of the process cannot be improved upon:

…God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you (Romans 12: 1-2 MSG).

Church

Our world is in desperate need of healing! In order for the Church to be part of the solution, we must take Christ out of a building and let His love be felt by the hurting among us. Each day, I am able to see, up close and personal, what that looks like. Linda’s repeatedly refusing to let the hairdresser style her hair did not mean “the three strikes and you are out” rule would apply. When she was no longer able to cut up her food, the kitchen staff, caregivers and nurses worked together to come up with a solution. Instead of accepting falling as inevitable, the physical therapy team is working to improve her balance. In the same way, God longs for the world around us to see Christ through us!