Loving Much

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34 (NIV)

I like to think I am good at loving people, but the reality is that I'm not. I'm very human and I make a lot of mistakes and don't "keep my love on" very well as Danny Silk talks about in his book titled just that. Sidenote: I'd highly recommend that book. Check it out here. 

Recently, I met a new client in my home care nursing job who was too intoxicated to talk to me the first handful of times I tried to visit him and do my initial visit and assessment. I had doubts about whether or not this would be successful, and admittedly caught myself passing a bit of judgement while thinking these thoughts. The third time I went to visit him was at a time he had decided would work best for him, and he even asked me to write him a reminder. I arrived at the appointed time to find him passed out, covered in his own vomit, stool, and coughing up blood. I stood there almost feeling unable to breathe between the smell of the room and my heart breaking for this man.

I called an ambulance for him, and a few weeks later he was discharged home. I went back to see him, unsure of how it would go. Much to my surprise, he remembered me, and was surprised to see me. "Why did you come back?" he said, a little sheepishly. I said, "Because I believe in lots of chances." The guy seemed even more surprised at this response, and then apologized in such a wholehearted way for how he had treated me at previous visits. I also apologized. It was a beautiful moment.

After this visit, I felt God remind me that that his heart for us as our Father.
That he is the giver of many chances. That he continually stops for the one, you and I, and forgives and loves us regardless of what we have or have not done. 

I have been reading in Luke 7 about the sinful woman who anointed Jesus' feet with perfume. Jesus' response to the pharisee in this story was "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins are forgiven -- as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little" (verse 47).

God has really been speaking to me through this verse in my own struggle with sin, and being able to forgive myself, and receive his forgiveness. He also spoke to me about receiving his unconditional love and acceptance, and reminded me that yes, I have been forgiven much, but I can love much because of it. We are all that woman with the alabaster jar of perfume, with a lot of love to give.