GOD’S LOVE
This photo was one of a series, taken around 36 years ago on behalf of the Burnaby School Board and Burnaby Now Newspaper. Although the boy could only make guttural sounds when he tried to talk, the girl met him where he was and answered him with similar sounds. She was connecting with him in a very loving way. The photos I managed to get of the interchange moved me deeply.
It happened to be at a time when I was searching for God. I remember the joy.
Do you remember what it was like when you first came to know how much God loves you? Do you remember the warmth that filled your heart? Do you remember how much you wanted to share that love with others?
You haven’t forgotten, have you?
It’s very possible that the world’s day to day distractions could have made you forget that love you felt. Or how much he meant to you. Or the purpose you had found in wanting to follow him. The joy of having something meaningful to live for. And how you would like to share that love with others – lots of others!
Do you remember?
This is what I wrote about this picture, sometime in 2013.
SUCH AS WE ARE
Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.
. . . and he was crippled in both feet.
Mephibosheth bowed down and said,
“What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
I see such beauty in this story’s portrayal of King David’s acceptance and caring for his friend Jonathan’s son, a disabled man. Why? I think it’s because I see myself – the broken me – in Mephibosheth. And I see God and His love and compassion in the person of David.
Aren’t we all a bit like Mephibosheth? We’re all broken to some degree. Everyone. Yet as God’s children, we are treated royally, dining with the Lord at His table.
Mephibosheth asked why the king would notice someone like him and we might ask the same. We should not take God’s gracious treatment for granted.
Listen to the way Charles Spurgeon saw it: “Let it be published in heaven as a wonder, that the Lord Jesus should set His heart’s love upon such as we are.” It is a wonder, isn’t it?
Are you, too, asking God, “Who am I that you would love me so much?”
You might see yourself to be like Mephibosheth, broken. You might be physically or mentally disabled, you might be emotionally unwell, perhaps unattractive in some way, not having the friends you want and need. As a result, you feel small and lack confidence. Many of us have a lack of healthy self-worth.
God does not intend us to walk through life that way. He doesn’t want us thinking we’re not as good as others. He sees us as worthy as anyone, even though it might be difficult for us to live a normal life.
As I wrote in the above, this picture drew a great amount of emotion from me. Why was that?
As I continued my search for God, the answer became clear. I saw myself in the child in the wheelchair and in the loving expression of the girl I saw the face of Jesus.
He loves us . . . such as we are.
marja
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