Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness

After lunch with my friend Katie, I pondered the similarities between her heart and the heart of Christ.

Katie left her husband, Shawn, twice during an 18-month period. He had anger issues. She needed to protect herself in case he became abusive. She went back to him the second time 10 days before our lunch.

Why didn’t she give up on her husband?

Katie loves Shawn. She desires to be with him. She wants to be adored by him.

She accepts him as he is. Katie hopes he will have a change of heart, honor her, and treat her with the love and devotion she deserves. She is willing to give him another chance.

Katie is also forgiving. No matter what Shawn has done, Katie’s heart is huge. She wants this relationship to work as if her life itself depended upon it.

Do you see the similarities? Let’s look at this once more substituting Jesus in for Katie and the word me in for Shawn.

Jesus loves me. He desires to be with me. He wants to be adored by me.

He accepts me as I am. He hopes I will have a change of heart, honor Him, and treat Him with the love and devotion He deserves. He is willing to give me another chance.

Jesus is also forgiving. No matter what I have done, Jesus’s heart is huge. He wants this relationship to work as if His life itself depended upon it.

And it did.

Because of His great love for us, He died. He rose from the dead to give us new life. Eternal life.

If we receive His gift of eternal life, He will accept us as we are and forgive us for all our sins. We first need to admit we are a sinner and believe He died and rose from the dead. We also must turn from our sinful ways and commit to follow Him.

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10 NLT).

“Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away” (Acts 3:19 NLT).

My hope is that Shawn follows through on the anger management counseling he agreed to and their marriage is restored.

The Greatest is Love

We all need love. According to 1 Corinthians 13:13, love is the greatest. The Message translation says we should, “love extravagantly.”

When I think of an extravagant gift, my thoughts go to something unexpected, way beyond what is necessary for the occasion, and more than I would typically receive or deserve.

If the best of the big three—faith, hope, and love—is love, and we are to love extravagantly, we should give unexpectedly of our kindness, forgiveness, and put others first even when we don’t feel they deserve our love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 states: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (NLT).

I’ve read these verses many times but often feel I’ve come up short. I’m sure I’m not alone.

Even though we love and serve the Lord, we sometimes allow negativity and discontentment into our hearts. This often shows up as sarcasm and bitterness instead of the love we desire to share. When I hear it come out of my mouth, I am convicted and sorrowful. On occasion, I’ve needed to apologize to a coworker or family member for snapping back. Would have been easier to respond in love the first time.

Our negative thoughts affect our intimacy with the Lord. How can we get on our knees and surrender our hearts in prayer and worship if we haven’t given Him our sinful attitude?

This negativity can also affect how we relate to others. I find it difficult to spend much time with someone who constantly berates the people in their lives. Are they trying to make themselves look better by blaming someone else? Sad truth is, I’ve done this myself. Maybe you have too.

We get caught up in the unfairness of our circumstances or listen to lies from the evil one. We begin to sulk and worry. Start to believe everyone is against us. What if we turn that all around and show God’s love? Instead of demanding our own way, what if we put the other person first? What if we choose to forgive? Maybe we could become more approachable and agreeable as well as learn to love extravagantly. Love beyond what anyone deserves. God’s love.

Grace-Filled Conversation

Colossians 4:6: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (NIV).

My words have gotten me into trouble more than once. Have yours? Do your words ever come out in a way that they are misunderstood by others? Do you sometimes need to reevaluate not only what you said but how you said it?

Grace-filled words are pleasant, kind, and helpful. Proverbs 12:25 says kind words cheer people up. We may never know the heavy burdens others carry. Sharing a simple hello and a smile can bring joy to someone’s heart when they feel down.

Grace-filled words also bring healing and overflow with compassion and gentleness. Proverbs 15:1 says a gentle answer turns away anger. Sometimes people are ready for a fight—to argue with any willing subject. Our gentle response will either soften them toward us or send them off to find someone else to pick a fight with.

Gracious words are spoken to bring encouragement to the hearer. Our encouragement brings reassurance and hope to others. Their troubled souls find comfort and peace.

Our words have the power to impact people’s lives for Christ. The opposite is also true. Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (NIV).

I desire my words to be full of grace and build others up. To bless and not tear down. To offer hope and encouragement. I long to be a woman who shares pleasing and useful words—full of mercy—to bring healing and restoration to those in need. To point people to the Lord, to convey His love, and to grow friendships. I want to be a gracious woman whose words honor the Lord.

Psalm 19:14: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (NLT).

Peace Came in the Morning

Not too long ago, I received disappointing news. Something I’d hoped for didn’t happen. The next morning, I awoke filled with anxiety. After I spent time in prayer and read my Bible, I prepared my breakfast. I thought one of my favorite songs might get me more excited about getting ready to go to work. When I called upon my Amazon Echo, I struggled to get the words out fast enough—forgot the name of the song.

My Echo thinks she knows me well. She said something like, “Since you listen to worship music, I’ll play the Amazon worship channel and Chris Tomlin.”

Sounded good to me. I like Chris. The song, “Good, Good Father” played. After Chris, another song played about trusting God. The two songs together spoke to my heart and spirit and brought peace to my morning and a wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness.

My hope is found in the Lord. He meets my needs. I acknowledged how good my God truly is and renewed my choice to trust Him in my situation and with the decisions I needed to make.

When I put my faith and trust in the one who loves and watches over me, my anxiety diminishes, and peace moves in. Peace makes a better companion.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way” (GNB).