Love that Demands Action
What value do you place on a single human life? Before you give a reflexive answer to that question, I want you to really think deeply and personally about it. The truth is, that the value of a person cannot really be measured by any normal, quantifiable means. When I sit and engage in a little introspection, I have to admit I’m often mystified by the deep worth that our Creator places on each of us. I’m mystified because God’s love is so far beyond my own human capacity to love even the people I hold dear.
Christ humbled himself to become a man and then proceeded not just to tell us with His words, but to live out the most extraordinary, astonishing, supernatural love. He surrendered Himself to a horrible, ugly death for every person. He did this for people who despised and mocked Him, and who today believe He’s irrelevant or outdated. He would have done it for one single person. Only one.
This is the worth of a single human life: that the Sovereign Creator, God Himself, would give up everything for that one life. So, what value do you place on a single life? You know God’s answer. It is a defining moment for each of us when we are reminded that we are not just called, but equipped to follow Christ’s example in everything, most especially in the way that we love.
What does living out that love mean for our lives, right now, today? Clearly love demands action as Christ so beautifully illustrated for us. But loving action is not blind. Christ’s actions on earth were unexpected but were exactly what humanity needed. Godly love involves sacrifice and wisdom, a careful discovery of the best way to take compassionate action for someone else.
Right now, I am choosing to take wise, compassionate, action. Ukraine is experiencing many crises: economic, political, health care, and natural gas to start. These are massive problems affecting millions. We can’t fix the monumental problems of an entire country, but that’s not what God is asking of us. Instead, He asks us to love one life at a time, to take action for one person at a time.
Right now we must focus on eastern Ukraine. The Russian military is lined up on their border. I don’t know what is going to happen over the next months. I do know that for today, I can make sure the vulnerable and the poor have warm, cozy blankets to help them survive the long, cold, dark, and uncertain winter they are facing.
What is the cost of a simple blanket compared to the value of the life it saves? A blanket costs about $40. There are many vulnerable people in Ukraine, but if I can save only one, I will. I will save someone. The sacrifice I make on that person’s behalf is worth it because that one person is of infinite value. But, I pray that together, we can rescue and save many. I pray that every single blanket we give will be a beacon of light in the cold darkness; a symbol of the extraordinary love of God we share.
Many Blessings,
