I couldn't emphasize just how important love has proved to me. I am afraid this blog is turning into a lover's blog. It just proves how in so many levels Love Does make my World go round. In my private studies of the Bible I see event after event of God's demonstration of love. Even in anger, he still loves. Today I put the spot light on one scripture in particular.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans5:8 (NIV)
I have an amazing family, the first child of three. My mother loves us to bits. In early years she would go to extremes so we could have the best of things. Sometimes it meant going the stretch of dressing in second hand clothes, or doing her own hair. All so we could eat the best foods and dress in the best clothes. My former classmates will testify I always had the strangest but cutest things. Her efforts coupled with my Father always treating me like a princess, because to him I was the best among my peers, gave me the illusion that every person in this planet loved each other. Rightfully so because there was no reason to hate, everyone was nice to me. I got a rude awakening from my blissful slumber, one after noon when my grandmother came to visit. I was only five. Sad to admit but she was not the nicest person on this planet. It was obvious she did not like her daughter in law, my mother, but being a child I always gave her the benefit of the doubt. After all I am her son's first child and I was named after her. Children always have a way to see the good in people.
So I run into her arms, I remember my hands were on her lap when my mum came and abruptly picked me up, taking me with her to the kitchen. Apparently my grandmother had made a remark about not wanting me around her, I did not understand it, she spoke a different language, but my mother did. So she came to get me and said, "Learn to know when people want you around them". Shocked, in silence I got the message clearly. I had never known anyone not to like me, I didn't understand it...needless to say from then on there was a rift between us. We would visit her house but I would barely say two words to her. I loved and respected her but was unwilling to build a relationship with her. It all stemmed from that single event.
Years later, she fell ill. It was eminent even to her that she was passing on. School was closed for the holidays and we went to see to her. She had lost a lot of weight, apparently she had not been eating. Her frailty was a result of lack of nutrition. My cousins and I decided to make her some food, I fed her. After a couple of spoonfuls she was unable to hold it down. She threw up. Her expectation was I would run and have someone else clean it. Instead I did it myself and also helped her change into clean clothes. She was shocked at my actions, all of a sudden she started apologizing to me. To her I was a representation of my mother. Later I learned her reason for apprehension was my mother had taken the attention of the only son she believed to have made something of himself because he pursued education and was working in a government office. On her death bed she apologized for transgressions she committed against my mother, words she had spoken to her and of her. Then told me her final goodbyes because she was certain in her mind, she would soon die. We met one more time but on Christmas Eve we got news of my grandmother's demise.
"...While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8 (NIV). He did not wait for us to be kind to him, to worship Him or even give a loud HALLELUYAH!!! He didn't wait for us to be right. He did it when we were so deep in the mess of our iniquity. He came in our weakness and frailty. He fed us his truth...yet we still rejected and spit it out. He cleaned up our mess and changed our clothes. In this clean up we found redemption.
If we loved like He loved even in our marriages...divorces would be extinct. We are taught from early years to only love when we are loved...but loving the unlovable has shown to bear better fruit. Had I not shown the act of kindness to my dying grandmother whose to say what would have happened. An act of kindness created opportunity for repentance. It created opportunity for reconciliation in our relationship. I can honestly say I love her, to this day I am ecstatic it was me who cleaned up her vomit and no one else. So this Valentine...love that special someone despite them not being "in their right mind". A right mind will love, if they are not loving you they cant possibly be in their right mind. A little bit of kindness might just turn them around. HAPPY VALENTINES!!!
~Penzi Amani~
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