11/03/2007

You want me to do what????

What does it mean to love unconditionally?

The group I was discussing this with the other night came to a consensus.

To love a person unconditionally, one would be willing to die for someone else.
To love a person unconditionally, one would have the ability to forgive after being wronged in the worst way imaginable.

We were imagining what it would be like to be the parents of a murdered child and being able to forgive the murderer and even love them. As a parent to two young children myself, the thought of being in that kind of situation absolutely terrifies me.

Would I have the capacity to love and forgive on such a drastic scale?

We then changed the names of the people in that particular situation.

Murdered child- Jesus
Parent of the murdered child- God
Murderer- all of humanity

John 3:16- For God so loved the world (unconditionally), that He gave his one and only son. That whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus gave His life that we might live.
Could I sacrifice my life for someone who I knew would not fully appreciate what I'd done for them?

Are we as mankind even able to embrace what it truly means to love unconditionally?

Now that I'm a parent, I believe I'm a little bit closer to grasping this concept.

However, I know that I am no where near comprehending the fullness of it nor am I sure that I am even capable of it.

After all, I'm human.

4 comments:

Jay said...

Not feeling 100% yesterday made me a bit shorter than usual with the usual irresponsible drivers on the road and while driving to our destination I uttered a threat if they should hit us and harm my wife.

I felt bad about it later, but that does not change my feelings about people that carelessly risk the lives of others.

I think you may have struck a nerve Candace. :)

enji said...

wow, that scares me. i know i've been struck by it before, but its like each time i hear it it makes me fall flat on my face all over again.
i killed him. i killed the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. i killed the saviour of the whole world. i killed the one whose name is love.
*falling flat on face* (once again)

katelynn said...

ahh i was in that discussion group! that was so good! we actually had good talks and good stuff came out of it!

R Sheldon said...

I love reading your blog Candace! you always give me such great deep things to think about. especially going to Youth tonight. I might just print this off and have a discussion of my own! keep it up!