I read a Max Lucado devotion the other day about a Princess, living in the 1600’s during a plague. She was quarantined from her young son; he had caught what was going around. However, the Princess refused to be kept from her son. One day as she was returning to her son, she overhead him ask the nurse why his mom wouldn’t kiss him anymore. This melted the princess’ heart, and she proceeded to enter the room and lavish kisses on her son. They buried her two days later. 

I love this story. This is the kind of deep, unconditional Love our Heavenly Father has for us. He did in fact lay down His Life just to demonstrate this kind of Love:  Romans 8:36-39 (msg) Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture: They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

What a beautiful contradiction to the shallowness we are bombarded with everyday, trying to convince us that we need to play it safe instead of loving lavishly. Imagine loving everybody with this kind of reckless abandonment, trusting that we have been created for just this!! To be a vessel of His Love. It’s not the vessel – it’s the Love that is eternal.

I’m so tired of being afraid. Being afraid of making a mistake and bringing some sort of tragedy to those I love. I’m tired of all the divisiveness and anger and blaming. We live in a broken world. What if we embraced His Love and trusted, truly believed that keeping our eyes on Him was everything, and we allowed ourselves to Love freely – without fear. 

This is the power of the Holy Spirit! This is Freedom. This is His Gift to us. 

From Hebrews 11 and 12 (msg): He had is eyes on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going…. Through acts of faith,.. they took the promises for themselves… Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we are in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God.

Lord, fill me with your Spirit so I may Love like You. Thank You for being You, pure and beautiful Love. Amen.