Dedicated to all of my fellow human beings who have not yet found
true love.
We were long overdue for a thorough washing of
our clothes. We were thousands of miles from home, and since luggage on
planes is limited, we didn't have a limitless supply of clean laundry.
And now we were wearing the last of it. Something had to be done!
It didn't help that we were in a part of northern New Zealand that
was experiencing extreme drought. We couldn't find a Laundromat in town,
and the bed and breakfast we were staying at was experiencing a water
shortage. The two large water containers that they used to supply their
home and business were dangerously low, and as a result, we were more
than surprised when the owner pleasantly said, "I'll be happy to do your
laundry for you!"
"But you need your water," we insisted.
"It will be fine. I will do it for you while you are out diving!"
We were touched by the love of these New Zealanders. They went out
of their way to help us, despite their lack of water.
That's when
I began to ask myself, "How can you really prove to someone that you
love them?"
So often we are disappointed by our so-called
friends. So often we reveal our inner thoughts to someone we trust only
to be let down by them. We have been rejected so many times in our lives
that we really have no idea who we can trust. Imagine what would happen
if people around us really knew the real us!
Deep down, we all
have the urge to search for someone who will accept us for who we truly
are. Does that someone even exist?
So often we are hurt by our
own spouse, the one we have decided to spend the rest of our lives with.
Our spouse wanted to proof his or her love by giving a beautiful ring
with sparkling diamonds, or by some other material means. True enough,
it touched us deeply at the moment. Years later though, that same ring
becomes worthless as the love evaporates into nothingness. In a world
where divorce has become the norm, love has become a species on its way
to extinction!
Though we hunger to be loved, we have learned that
revealing our vulnerability only leads to more rejection, and as a
result, we have become cautious. Many specialize in searching for real
love. Sadly this kind of love cannot be found.
Unless...
How can someone truly show that they love us? Would a ring do the job?
Not really.
Would a mansion suffice?
No, a mansion is
transient.
What about money?
Even that will eventually
disappear.
The only way we can be assured 100% of pure love is if
the individual is willing to sacrifice his or her life for ours.
Don't take me wrong. There are many true stories where Prince or
Princess Charming took a pauper out of his or her misery and elevated
him or her to riches, to be their husband or bride. And I applaud such
endeavours. However only One was willing to bring Himself down to our
level; to lower Himself from all the riches of Heaven to a level of true
poverty; from being worshipped by legions of angels, to being rejected
and mocked, crucified on across, as if he were the worst villain that
ever existed.
That's love, friends! Real love! He was willing to
give up everything for you and me!
"This is how we know what love
is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." (1 John 3:16 NIV)
He
is the One who accepts us the way we truly are, the One who guarantees
that rejection is a thing of the past!
"Whoever comes to me I
will never drive away." (John 6:37 NIV)
But though He was killed
on our behalf, He didn't stay in the grave. After three days He rose
again, and humanity has never been the same! "He died for us so that,
whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him." (1 Thess
5:10 NIV)
There is only One who truly love us. Would you like to
know Him?
He cleans our dirty laundry, too. In fact, He turns our
rags into a royal wardrobe, and all of this for free!
"Now you're
dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is
custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions
are now obsolete." (Col 3:10 The Message)
May our New Year
resolution be to get to know the One who truly loves each one of us. No
love like this will ever be found, except in the One who willingly
sacrificed Himself for us!
Rob Chaffart
I'll Do Your Laundry
Today's Bible Verse:
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom
8:38-39
I'll Do Your Laundry
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