Dear Cornerstone Family,
Greetings and blessings to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Earlier this week I was thinking about the years I’ve shared with Christy in marriage. Recounting the ups and downs, twists and turns, I found myself tearing up at the unspeakably precious gift Christy has been to me over the years. I can honestly say that one of the most grounding and comforting realities of my life is knowing that she loves me.
Reflecting on the sweetness and sturdiness of her love for me produces grateful peace in my heart. For regardless of how inadequate I feel or what anyone else thinks or says about me, I know she loves me. I’m her person no matter what.
This is all the more astonishing when I consider who I am. Shocker, I’m not an easy person to live with. But my scattered, running-thin, and embarrassingly selfish self doesn’t rattle her. She takes it in stride and accepts me warts and all while her example continually nudges me toward being a better man—the man I know God has called me to be.
Even after all the foolish things I’ve said and done, after all the ways I’ve fallen short, her love hasn’t budged. Her affection remains. Her patience is steady. Even after I do “that thing” for the umpteenth time, she forgives me. She forgives me.
Despite how it sounds, Christy is not perfect. Far from it! She’s a sinner like the rest of us. But I can honestly say the Lord has been pleased to use her example of love as a vision of grace in my life.
What do I mean by a vision of grace?
Well, take this in. If you have trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, then you are a child of God. And if you are a child of God, you are loved with perfect patience by your Heavenly Father. Though you have fallen short countless times (it’s far worse than you know), his love for you hasn’t wavered once. The Father is not in heaven wishing he had the “good kid next door” and not you as his child. No, as hard as it may be to wrap your head around this, he delights in loving you.
Sure, you disappoint him. There’s no way around that. But know this—his grief over your sin is the evidence of his love for you. In the way that a loving parent grieves over a child who wanders away from the Lord, the Father grieves when you leave the comfort of his love and commands. He grieves when you forsake him and bow down to the idols of the world and the flesh.
But don’t despair. You’re in the house of God. Today, the Father gathers up his robe and runs toward you in love. In the finished work of Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit, the Father takes you into his arms and rejoices to welcome you, “My prodigal child is home again!”
As we worship today, let’s remain in his love (John 15:9)
Your servant,
