Loving to the End

I've been going through John in my quiet time. Through the course of the last few weeks, I've come to love this book even more. I think it tells more about the character of Christ than the other Gospels. As we've prepared to leave for a while, I've neared the passages surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. I've been able to learn from Jesus as He prepared to leave those He loved.

In Chapter 13:1 it says, "...Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end." The verses that follow detail how the Lord spent time with His disciples during the passover and describing the promised Helper to come. On this reading, Christ's character really resonated with me. He knew what lay ahead and yet He was relentless in loving those that were His own.

Believe it or not, an impulse reaction that I have going into our departure is to start cutting the strings early. It would be easy to detach physically and emotionally, but what a tragedy that would be! Don't get me wrong, this is a season and not necessarily a permanent placement. Our commitment is NOTHING in comparison to that of Christ. Nevertheless, instead of distancing myself, I've been praying for wisdom to love to the end. I've been asking that I would be eager to keep pouring into and openly receiving love and care from friends and family. We are soooo blessed by those closest to us, and it will be difficult to geographically separate ourselves for a season. Once again, the example of Christ shows me a template of how to live out life even in extraordinary situations!