Love Eternal

My brother Jason and his wife Rachel moved from Texas to Maryland in 2005. We are a close knit family so saying goodbye was understandably difficult. I miss my brother and sister. I’m grateful for any time we get to spend together, but we’re all just doing our best to follow Jesus and raise our kids. Our conversations are few and far between, but I know at any moment we can pick up wherever we left off. Although I’m sad that our families do not get to be together regularly, I’ve seen God’s hand at work in both of our lives and I’m convinced we’re exactly where He wants us.  It’s evident that God had a purpose in His plans despite the distance and seeing how he uses us in our individual places brings me much joy.  That joy comes from realization that a our love for each other has little to do with us, but EVERYTHING to do with our love for God. It’s no longer temporary. It’s eternal. Whatever time we get here is a gift, but we get to look forward to spending eternity together. 

This kind of relationship reminds me of how Paul expresses his love and appreciation for the disciples in the various New Testament churches. The tone of his greeting resonates the excitement and affection he feels for them despite his absence from their lives. Paul wanted to be with them but his circumstances and broader ministry did not allow for it much of the time. Incidentally, this distant love and support gave these churches space to struggle and wrestle with the truth as they matured in their faith and fulfilled their individual tasks as a body of Christ. Jesus also exemplified this when he ascended into heaven. I imagine it was difficult to say goodbye to his friends, but he knew it was in their best interest and the best interest of the world for him to leave them to their tasks with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

It’s clear that the momentum behind this intentional physical distance is love. It seems ironic to think that love would be the driving force behind creating space between those who love one another. When you love someone you want to be close to them. But this type of love is deeper. The Greek word, agape is said to be love in its highest form, because it is a selfless love that desires the best for others. How far does that go? Only to the extent that promotes a deeper relationship with Christ and paves the way for others to fulfill their God given purpose. If we truly desire to see others transformed by the Holy Spirit then we must love them enough to say “I want whatever God wants for your life even if that means I don’t get to be in it or as close as I’d like to be.”  It’s the kind of love that desires to see God’s purposes fulfilled in the lives of his people above all else. 

If we truly love in the purest form we must be willing to separate our personal desires from our spiritual callings. This love can only be achieved when we realize that the steadfast eternal love we can only have in Christ supersedes any temporal satisfaction that comes from human interaction. As followers of Jesus, our first and foremost desire should be to go wherever God calls us, serving alongside those He gives us. When we do, we love with our lives for the sake of others coming to know our God who IS love. Agape love. Love eternal. The greatest love ever known.