A Kind, Patient Love

                                                             

The news that someone has passed always evokes a response. We pause. We stop. We become somber. Perhaps we cry or we weep if the relationship was a close one.  Often the news leaves us with a desire to be alone, to be still, to pray, to silently remember the person who has passed.

 

When Jesus heard that his cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded He may have experienced these same emotions. Matthew 14:13 says: “ When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.”

 

The verse continues: “But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him.”

 

If I had been in Jesus’ place, I would have been annoyed.  I would have tried to hide from the multitude of needy people.  If they had found me, I would have sent them away, telling them that this was not a good time.

 

The response of Jesus, however, was much different than mine. Matthew 14:14 says:

“He saw a great multitude and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed them.” 

 

The love of Christ is beyond our comprehension. At a time of personal sorrow He looked at the needy people and wasn’t annoyed with their interruption. Instead, with deep love and compassion He met their needs.

 

“Love is patient. Love is kind”(I Corinthians 13:4). The deep love of Jesus was patient with people who showed up at an inconvenient time.  In kindness He greeted them and met their needs.

 

I am thankful for a Savior whose compassion was so evident as He walked the earth. Although the miracles which He performed were done to fulfill prophecy, He did not do the miracles coldly and mechanically.  He looked into the eyes of the lepers, the blind, the deaf, the paralyzed, the demon possessed, and He was moved with compassion as He saw their pain.

 

This same Jesus is our Savior.  His Spirit abides in the hearts of believers.  His love for each of us is as deep and as genuine as the love which He had for the hurting people who showed up as He was grieving the death of John.  He invites us to come to Him with our needs.  There is never a bad time to approach His throne.  He is never busy or distracted. When we come with needs, both great and small, we are always greeted with kindness and compassion.  What amazing love!

 

Early Morning City Sounds

                                                    

 

The rumble of traffic outside the gate. A chorus of birds waking up for the day. An ambulance siren in the distance. A friendly walker wishing me a good morning. The hum of an air conditioner.  A gurgling creek. The whistle of a train. Birds calling to one another. The sound of a helicopter overhead. The rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. Sounds that greet me on my 6 a.m. walk.

 

Some sounds come and go. But the rumble of traffic never stops. And the singing of birds never stops. These are the constants in my 6 a.m. world.  I live within the city limits and the sounds of civilization are real.  I live in a gated community with trees and flowers and a creek running through it. The sounds of nature in my community are real.  Which sounds will capture my attention? I choose to tune out the traffic and listen to the birds.  

 

As my morning walk comes to an end, the introverted part of me would like to keep walking all day long.  Communing with God and enjoying nature 24/7 is an appealing thought.  But the steady rumble of traffic in the background reminds me of a world of men and women and children.  And the same God who walks with me each morning is the God who says “love your neighbor as yourself.”

 

As I leave my gated world and enter the world of people, new sounds greet my ears.  I hear gentle, encouraging, positive voices. I hear grumbling, cynical, negative voices.  And steady in the background of my heart, I hear the still small voice of my God reminding me that He is with me.  Lord, may Your love flow through me to each person I meet today.