"Greatest Love"

He crawled into the bottle,

And thought he’d not come back,

So far down and desperate,

Gone so far off track.

But then the love, the greatest love,

Found him in that place,

Healed the pain, and made him sane,

Showed the smile on Jesus’ face.

She ran with both her children,

From the man who beat her blue,

Hiding and so desperate,

Did not know what to do.

But then the love, the greatest love,

Found her in that place,

Healed the pain, and cleansed the stain,

And gave to her God’s grace.

Always mean and violent,

Angry to the core,

Hopeless, suicidal,

And couldn’t take no more.

But then the love, the greatest love,

Found him in that place,

Healed the pain, and broke the chain,

His reactions to replace.

He knew he was an addict,

He lived from fix to fix,

It cost him everything he had,

And no one had his six,

And so many like him,

With a stronghold in their soul,

Alone and isolated,

No way to be made whole,

But then the love, the greatest love,

Finds them in that place,

Heals the pain, relieves the strain,

And sets a whole new pace.

“This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9, NIV)

Love is really what it’s all about. God is love and wants people to know it. Though they talked about Jesus in the church where I grew up, my overwhelming impression was not that God loved me but that He was angry with me an extremely displeased. I felt a lot of guilt and shame, and much of it was appropriate because no doubt I was a sinner! But I somehow missed out on the most important truth of all. God loved me! When we realize this, everything shifts in the right direction. His love is the motivation to repent of our sins and turn our lives over to Him. He energizes us to love others and even ourselves in a healthy way. Celebrate the love!

Lord, help us to celebrate and share Your love, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Don Dane, used by permission. Thanks, Don, and God bless you.