I’m learning a lot about God’s intense, caring and personal love.
In the course of my short cancer journey (March 2021) I have experienced God’s love in many ways, the deep love of God through friends and the love of the Lord in other ways like by sitting quietly on our patio in His presence.
I am thinking there are a lot of ways to experience His grand love. For me, right now, it seems to mainly come in two forms – love from Him to me directly and love from Him through you.
His pure direct love would probably kill me, so I suspect sometimes He has to tone it down so I can handle it. Like Moses looking at the tail end of God’s glory in a rock cleft. Looking directly on God would have fried him as a human.
I have seen firsthand the intense and personal love of God through my friends and family. I have literally hundreds of warm loving comments on Facebook.
One high school friend, who I haven’t seen in 40 years said, “Billy, I’m praying for you every morning”.
Every morning?
I’m thinking…I haven’t seen or talked to you in 40 years and you are praying for me?
Daily?
Whoa.
My Souly Business friend Jeff in Johnson City said “I’d drive to Alpharetta to give you a glass of water if you needed it”.
One of my walking friends Bryan said, “Yes, I’ll walk with you, heck I’d ride you on my back if you needed it”.
These are sort of funny, but they are expressions of love that are not normal. I believe I am learning that the transfer of God’s love from you and me to others is so much more prevalent and impactful than we think. I’m understating this, but just know that your love, care and concern for others God has put in your world is His personal way to connect those people to Him.
Being a conduit of His love is a sacred calling, not to be undervalued…but to be protected and nurtured.
In light of all this I wrote a poem recently about this love and its two paths to me – from God directly and through you.
Heavenly Cleanse
His love so pure and so divine
Sometimes comes through great friends of mine
Yet other loves He brings to me
And my response? A bended knee.
Like blinding light too bright to see
Too strong for me; it comes from Thee
So from the cleft I catch a view
And feel His love close-by anew.
Both beams of love are gems indeed
They humble me and so I plead
My love to friends and Him as well
And shout from roofs and loudly tell
Of His grand love that’s come my way
Enters my heart where it won’t stay
It spills right back to Him and friends
Where hearts are blessed with heavenly cleanse
WGS 6/15/21
