Yesterday I heard a speaker talk about a "healing love". But what I got from it was that there is a deeper love that I should be aspiring to reach and have as an integral part of my character. He shared two stories.
He was at a gathering and was talking to a lady who lived in the community and had asked her what part of the chicken did she like to eat the best. She answered "the back and the wings". He thought that was unusual since those are considered the worst parts of the chicken by most people, so he asked her why. She said that when she was raising her boys they didn't have much money. So when she made chicken for them she would eat the backs and wings so they could have the best parts.
What struck me about this is not that fact that this lady would sacrifice eating the best parts of the chicken, but that she would declare that her favorite parts are those parts she could eat that let others have the best parts.
This same man was eating at a restaurant with his friend when a waitress walking by got a little off balance carrying a bowl of soup and spilled it down his back. He thought to himself, "oh man she is going to hear about this." Instead the man turned to the waitress and said, "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I know this has embarrassed you terribly. I'm so sorry."
Here he is with a bowl of hot soup all down his back, running into his pants and his first instinctual response was about her. That's a deeper love.
I can't help but believe that there is a depth to the character of love in God that we hardly ever witness, much less reach. The world needs me to look for, search for, reach for, and to crave that kind of love in my character. There is a healing that does happen for others when they witness such instinctive responses from people with such depth of love within them that others are truly first.
This is the kind of person I want to be and that example is an example I'd be happy to leave behind.
He was at a gathering and was talking to a lady who lived in the community and had asked her what part of the chicken did she like to eat the best. She answered "the back and the wings". He thought that was unusual since those are considered the worst parts of the chicken by most people, so he asked her why. She said that when she was raising her boys they didn't have much money. So when she made chicken for them she would eat the backs and wings so they could have the best parts.
What struck me about this is not that fact that this lady would sacrifice eating the best parts of the chicken, but that she would declare that her favorite parts are those parts she could eat that let others have the best parts.
This same man was eating at a restaurant with his friend when a waitress walking by got a little off balance carrying a bowl of soup and spilled it down his back. He thought to himself, "oh man she is going to hear about this." Instead the man turned to the waitress and said, "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I know this has embarrassed you terribly. I'm so sorry."
Here he is with a bowl of hot soup all down his back, running into his pants and his first instinctual response was about her. That's a deeper love.
I can't help but believe that there is a depth to the character of love in God that we hardly ever witness, much less reach. The world needs me to look for, search for, reach for, and to crave that kind of love in my character. There is a healing that does happen for others when they witness such instinctive responses from people with such depth of love within them that others are truly first.
This is the kind of person I want to be and that example is an example I'd be happy to leave behind.
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