But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
She forces her lips into a shape resembling a smile…
A smile harder to see than the Mona Lisa’s.
But her family sees it right away.
They all smile back at her…
They move her wheelchair closer to the department store display case.
Two adults and three young teenagers…
Swarming around the chair…
laughing and talking with each other and with her.
A party follows her wherever she goes…
The woman looks to be in her 80’s…
She slumps in the wheelchair, unable to hold herself up, her head falling slightly to one side…
As her chair moves closer to the case, she raises her hand, barely…
Pointing toward a pendant in the case.
I might not have noticed the movement…
Her family sees it right away.
‘This one?” asks one of teenagers.
A slight nod of the head…
The girl holds the pendant in front of the woman.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the woman’s face warms …
Her family sees her reaction right away.
They smile and cheer, buy the pendant and move down the aisle …
Taking their joy … their delight…their movable party… with them.
How, I wonder, are they so aware of every small movement the woman makes?
How can they see a smile or a hand gesture where I see none?
The simple answer?
They spend a lot time with her…
A simple answer that leads to other questions…
Why do they spend so much time with her?
Why are they so happy when they are with her?
There is a one word answer to those questions…
Love.
It is love that binds a family together…
It is love that lets us see the small movements of the hand and the heart in our family members…
Could God love us with that same kind of love?
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Love that makes Him want to spend all of time with us?
…“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” A love that makes God wants to party with us?
Love that lets Him yearn for even the slightest movement of our hearts?
“I the Lord search the heart .. Jeremiah 17:10
Love that lets Him lead all of heaven in celebration when we turn our hearts toward Him…
…I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10
Note: the original version of this post first appeared in June, 2015
