A mother was busily writing letters at her desk as her little girl played in another room with a doll. After some time, she called her daughter to come and sit on her lap. The little girl said: “Mommy, I’m so glad you called for me. I love you so much.”

“Do you darling?” she asked as she tenderly hugged her 5 year-old. “I’m glad you love me. You weren’t lonely while I was writing, were you? You and your doll seemed to be having such a good time together.”

“We were having fun, but I got tired of loving her. She never loves me back.” “Is that why you love me?” “That’s one reason, mommy, but not the best.” “And what is the best?” Her bright blue eyes were sparkling as she replied, “O mommy, can’t you guess? I love you now because you loved me and took care of me when I was too little to love you back.”

God First Loved Us

This story reminds me of the great love God has revealed to us through His Son Jesus and the Gospel. In Romans 5:6 we read these words: “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” And Romans 5:8 goes on to say: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The amazing story of the Christian Gospel is that God loved us even when we were unable to love Him back. Through Jesus, He has made it possible for us to receive forgiveness and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He has seated us with Christ in the heavenlies and bestowed on us the status of royal sons and daughters (Eph. 2:6). It is through His grace that we can have a relationship of growing love with Him.

And it is through that relationship of grace with the Lord that we can learn to more maturely love others. In 1John 4:12, we read these words: “No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”

God’s Biggest Miracle

God has performed many miracles in the history of the world. But His biggest miracle is when He transforms a self-centered human being, who was hostile in his heart toward Him, into a person who is growing in his love for the Lord and who is learning to love others as himself.

I pray that this would be the testimony of our lives. Let us remember to be patient with ourselves and each other when we fail to love in a Christ-like manner. In those times of failure, may God’s forgiving love be more that the written words we find on the pages of our Bibles. May they be embodied in our lives so that our relationship with the Lord and others would mature in God’s grace.