Simon’s Love
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Romans 12:9
Is it even possible that God can bring good out of suffering? Personally, when I am in that suffering boat, I find the oars heavy and there always seems to be a lack of any GPS or navigation system. Then, after a time of floundering around, the sky clears little by little and there is hope. Jerusha Agen (All God’s Creatures) shares her boat experience and how she found some optimism.
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God promises to bring good from suffering. But after losing my third dog in less that eighteen months, I couldn’t see what good could come from my broken heart. My plan to stagger my dog’s ages so I would never be without one didn’t pan out, as I lost two at young ages. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have a dog.
The emptiness of the house was overwhelming. No dogs greeted me when I came home. No one told me when it was time for food or play. No tags jingled; no nails tapped the floor.
I still had a cat, Simon. But as much as I loved him, he couldn’t fill the dog-shaped void in my heart. Or could he? One day when I came home braced for the emptiness, I opened the door. And Simon came to me. He had never greeted me at the door before. But that day began a new habit, as my dog-like cat consistently welcomed me in place of the dogs I missed.
He became more like my dogs in other ways, too, seeming to sense what would ease my grief. I needed a dog, and it seemed he did his best to become one for me.
Seeing how Simon comforted me changed my understanding of how I should minister to others. I knew that we are to rejoice and mourn with others according to what they need. But when Simon demonstrated his love by becoming what I needed, I saw the difference I could make if I could be that loving and responsive to others. Rather than assuming I know what people need, now I look and listen for cues to recognize how I can show Simon’s love to others—the kind that reflects Christ’s perfect love for me.
Lord, help me to perceive the needs of others and be willing to bend over backward to meet those needs so I can show genuine love to all in Your name. AMEN.