This Is Why We Can Love Well

I arrived at my neighbor’s party late. Alone. I wouldn’t know most of the guests. But as I entered, my friend Janice hugged me, then introduced me to others.

“Mom, this is Sara.”

I never caught her name. But “Mom” took my hand and held it. She smiled as if she knew me. As if she loved me before I met her. I loved Mom immediately.

The encounter reminded me of Jesus, who demonstrated His love for me before I ever met Him. “We love because he first loved us,” John wrote (1 John 4:19, ESV). Yes, we love Him because He loved us first. But we also are to love others — because He loved us first.

Love God. Love people. Possible to do because He loved us first.

Originally published at http://saradagen.com on December 21, 2021.