All of history and eternity was changed because of the love of God's Son. The selfless and sacrificial love of God the Trinity through sending the Son inspires our worship. For Jesus truly is our righteousness, our holiness, and our redemption, and I boast in Christ alone (I Cor 1:30-31).
As a father, I earnestly long for my sons to see Jesus in me and to observe a life of selfless love. Tonight, the tables were turned, and I saw such simple and selfless love lived out by my 6 year old son, Isaiah. From early in his life, we have been spending time in God's Word together and talking about imitating Jesus in this world. One of the things that most deeply saddens me is the limited number of Christians that seem to be able to answer this question: What did Jesus say is the most important thing? I have had the opportunity to ask this question of children, youth, and adults in many places, and I have received many answers. The answer is what we refer to as the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40). We have rehearsed this with Isaiah for several years now. Upon hearing this question, Isaiah will respond, "To love God and love people!"
His mother and I were in the kitchen preparing dinner when I heard commotion in the living room. When I turned the corner, I observed Isaiah hurrying around cleaning things up without having been asked. He has always been quick to respond obediently to our requests; however, this was the first time I have ever caught him doing something like this without being asked. When I asked him about it, he said he was trying to get everything cleaned up. I asked him why. He looked at his mom, and with a smile responded that he knew she liked it clean. It was clear he had put aside whatever he might have preferred to do in order to love his mommy. Is this not kenosis in action - emptying self in order to love another? I was moved to near tears and affirmed his Jesus-like love and actions.
It is amazing that although we are all selfish creatures by nature, this life of selfless love is simple enough to be lived by a child who is seeking to follow Jesus. The most difficult thing to overcome - our selfish pride - can indeed be overcome! Amidst all the complexities of life, the simplicity of emptying ourselves for the sake of loving another is always the answer. This indeed demonstrates our love for God and the Great Commandment is fulfilled.
On another note, our 3 year old son, Luke, has not quite figured all of this out yet. In his own way, though, he is demonstrating love. One of the terms of endearment his mommy uses for him is "pumpkin." A couple of nights ago while riding in the car, my wife asked him, "How's my pumpkin?" He responded, "I'm not pumpkin. I'm Luker. You're pumpkin!" Oh the joy of being a father and the privilege of loving and being loved by them.
No comments:
Post a Comment