but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 ESV)
Love and Faith
It was a dark and stormy night…
Or at least, it was a dark and snowy night. I came outside after a long evening of work at the library and discovered a blizzard had snuck up while I was at work. Most rational folk would have noticed the ice layer on the road, covered by twelve inches of snow, covered by another layer of ice, covered by snow, covered by ice and decided to wait out the storm. But not me. I reckoned I could make it home.
I even decided to take the highway rather than the much safer city streets.
Exiting the highway, the road conditions overtook me, and I spun in circles while navigating the ramp. Somehow my spinning truck stopped in exactly the right position under the stoplight. My heart racing, my hands white-knuckling the steering wheel, my teeth clenched, I uttered a prayer of thanks.
For many years after that, snow-covered roads did not frighten me. If road conditions worsened, I remembered that Big Event and relaxed. My memory of the past comforted me in the terrors of the present.
The Big Event of Christ’s death can have an even better effect on us when we wonder if God still loves us. The storms of life, whether in the form of illness, sorrow, or fear, often result in insecurity when considering God’s love. Could our struggles be evidence that God has stopped His unstoppable love? Could His discipline be a mark of the end of His eternal patience? Could tragedy indicate that God’s limitless bounty has finished in our lives?
Remembering Christ’s death for us, proof positive that God’s love is unconditional, puts to rest such wonderings. That past Big Event focuses our attention on God’s present love. The cross-love can be enough to pull into focus God’s love even now, even in tumultuous troubles. Our faith in that unforgettable and undeserved love allows us to focus on God instead of our physical, emotional, or spiritual pain.
Take the faith God grants us.