I once spent some time with a beautiful lady never dreaming that it was her last day on earth. I had no idea that I would not see her again when I left that day; I only knew she was having a good day. She had smiled at me when I came in and started talking to her, so I snapped a picture of her and sent it to her daughter. Later on, that afternoon when I got ready to leave, I rubbed her arm and told her I would see her later and she looked up at me so sweetly and nodded her head. I started to step away but stopped and rubbed her arm telling her once more I would see her again later. She nodded again and as I walked away, I looked back at her thinking she was having a really good day.
My heart broke when I got the news that she had slipped from this world into her new home late that night. I thought of the pain her children must be feeling, and I began to pray for God to comfort them as only He can. As I sat processing the news, I began to think about her daughter and how much she had loved and cared for her mother. You see; I had only known her mother for a couple years. I didn’t know what kind of person she was before she got sick, but I often wondered as I watched her daughter minister to her. I had spent many a day in that nursing home and walked past a lot of rooms that never had visitors in them, but her daughter was never too busy to care for her mother.
Even with an incredibly demanding job, and family responsibilities, she continued to take excellent care of her mother. When she couldn’t be there, she made sure that there were plenty of people to help check on her mother and care for her. I can’t tell you how many times I watched her care for her mother and fuss over her, making sure she was comfortable. When she could have done like a lot of other people and slowly visited less and less, especially when things got so demanding in her life, she never stopped coming, never stopped taking care of her mother. I watched her love in action and was inspired by the love and devotion she had for her mother.
It is so easy to say that we love someone, but do we really show it by our actions? Words mean nothing if our actions tell a different story. Watching her, I learned that love isn’t merely a word, it is an action. As believers, we say we love God but do our actions back that statement up? Does our life show our love for God? Is our love merely a word or is our love an action, does it show in how we live, in the choices we daily make? My friend loved her mother dearly and it showed in the way she faithfully lived out that love as she cared for her mother. She could have taken the easy way out, but she didn’t give up when things got more and more difficult. She kept on loving.
It’s so easy to give up when things get hard, but we are called to keep pressing on, even when times get difficult. Lately, I have been simultaneously reading about the prophet Jeremiah and the apostle Paul, two very good examples of men who never gave up when times got hard. Both of these men loved God in word and in deed. Their lives were not easy and in fact, grew more and more difficult, but their love for God never failed. No matter how difficult things got, they never gave up. They kept on seeking God, they kept on faithfully following Him, and they kept on loving Him. They may have gotten tired, they may have gotten discouraged, but they never quit following Him.
I look at their example and I look at my sweet friend’s example and I have to ask myself, am I loving God the way I really want to? Do my actions and deeds reveal my love for Him? Do my life choices reveal His importance to me? Do I show my love for Him by sacrificing my desires for His? Do I show by the amount of time I devote to Him that He is truly important to me? What does my life actually reveal about my love for my Savior? Am I truly loving Him like I should? I really hope that I am but honestly, I know there are areas of my life that still need a lot of work. Thankfully, I know that if I ask Him to, He will help me to do better. He will help me to love Him like I want to.
“Yet you do not have because you do not ask…” James 4:3. If you lack the desire to pursue Him like you should, ask Him to give it to you. If you lack the desire to want to read His Word, ask Him to give you the desire you need. If you don’t have time to spend with Him like you want to, ask Him to help you be a better steward of your time. If you realize you are not loving Him the way you want to, ask Him to help you love Him better. You don’t have it because you haven’t asked Him for it. Why not ask Him for it today? All of these are things that He desires to give you, my friend, but you must ask Him to give it to you and if necessary, keep on asking until He gives it to you.
Persistence is often the key to the breakthrough that we need, but we don’t like to keep pushing through when times get difficult. Persistence and faithfulness are necessary if we are going to live victoriously, my friend. As my sweet friend demonstrated, we can’t give up when the going gets tough. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” Galatians 6:9. Things may be difficult right now, dear heart, but I urge you not to give up. With His help, you are going to make it through. So, keep fighting, my beloved. Refuse to give up; keep praying; keep fighting. Put your love into action and keep seeking His face; keep looking to Him.
One last word today, my friends, we rarely know when our last day will be, so it’s best to make sure you live every day like it might be your last one. If today was your last day, where would you spend eternity? That is the most important question you will ever decide, so, please answer carefully. “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” James 4:14. Beloved, make sure you know for certain where you are headed and make sure that the people you love know that you love them. Live worthy my friend (Eph. 4:1). Live worthy and love in action, not just in word.
“PIPPIN: I didn’t think it would end this way.
GANDALF: End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.
PIPPIN: What? Gandalf? See what?
GANDALF: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.
PIPPIN: Well, that isn’t so bad.
GANDALF: No. No, it isn’t.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
But as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him”. 1 Cor. 2:9
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deut. 6:5
We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
Grace and peace,
Katrina Douglas
