The title of the article that caught my attention was "Love makes us do
crazy things."
The rest of the piece told the story of
41-year-old Alexander Cirk from Holland. Cirk had begun an online
relationship with a 26-year-old, young lady from China. Eventually, the
relationship became serious enough that Cirk decided to fly to China to
meet his pen pal. He made the flight and landed at the Changsha airport
where he was to be met.
Unfortunately, his pen pal wasn't there.
Believing she had been unexpectedly delayed, Cirk sat down and
waited. After a bit, he tried to call her. He never got an answer, so he
continued to wait.
Cirk waited in the airport for ten days. He
might have waited longer, but he ended up having to go to the hospital
where he was treated for exhaustion. After he was released from the
hospital, he flew home to Holland, without ever having seen his
telephone buddy.
When the lady was contacted by the media, she
said,
1. She thought Cirk had been joking about coming to see
her;
2. She didn't think their relationship was that far along;
3. She thought he was coming the following year;
4. She
couldn't be reached because she was in a different province undergoing
some cosmetic surgery.
Having read the story of Cirk, I had to
feel sorry for him. On the other hand, he is not the first person in
history to be stood up after he made a lengthy trip to see someone he
loved.
Consider the Savior who, according to promise and prophet,
left heaven and was born here on earth to redeem and save God's
condemned people. Even though we had fallen into sin, the Lord still
loved us and was willing to do what was necessary to rescue us.
And so Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He spent the rest of His life
fulfilling the Law, resisting temptation, carrying our sins, and dying
our death.
It was a magnificent display of love.
And how
was He welcomed and received? John tells us. The vast majority of the
world did not receive Him. Indeed, those who should have recognized and
acknowledged Him ended up rejecting and murdering Him. It was a tragic
story back then. It is a tragic story today when the same thing happens.
This is why you and I need to do all we can to assist the Holy
Spirit to help the lost be adopted into the family of God.
THE
PRAYER: Dear Lord, for my salvation I give thanks, now may I reach out
and help others see the Savior and the salvation He has won. In Jesus'
Name I ask it. Amen.
Pastor Ken
Klaus Lutheran Hour Ministries All rights reserved;
not to be duplicated without permission.
