Lent Day 7 - Cover Me!

Above all, love each other

deeply, because love covers 
over a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 4:8




Have you heard the phrase, "blinded by love?"  Have you ever seen anyone who was so in love with someone that they were completely oblivious to that person's flaws and quirks? Yep. Disgusting, isn't it? We shake our heads and share our concerns - all in the name of Christian concern, of course - and wonder how anyone could be soooo blind or stupid or gullible or whatever term we want to use to describe them. 


Have you ever been that person? Yep. Me too. 


The thing is, I'm on the other side of this, too. We all are. I'm the one with all the flaws and bad things and quirks, and I am unconditionally loved. When people see me, warts and all, and wonder of what use I am, God looks at me and sees his precious child, someone who was important enough that he traded his own son's life for mine. That kind of sacrifice makes me special. Priceless. A one-of-a-kind treasure. 


It makes you one, too. 


If a friend was going on a trip and gave you a precious family heirloom to take care of how would you treat it? Would you toss it in the back of your junk closet and pile stuff on top of it? Would you leave it outside in the weather? Would you throw in it the trunk of your car and forget it was there? Hopefully not! You would bring it inside and put it in a place that was safe from the traffic in your home and the weather and nocturnal animals looking for a meal. You would probably take better care of it than you would of your own belongings. 


People are like that. They are all precious family treasures that God has loaned to us for a little while. Some of us could stand a little sprucing up, and some of us need more special attention than others, but we are all precious treasures - the apple of God's eye. 


God's love covers us every day. We are washed in his amazing grace, forgiven, redeemed, justified through him. Still we make mistakes, but if we love each other with the love of God - deeply and unconditionally - we can continue to treat one another as the true treasures that we are. 


Can we learn to be gracious and gentle with one another? With God's help we can. 


Love covers a multitude of sins. God's love has covered ALL of ours.


Is there someone in your life who needs the gentle, gracious love of God? Ask God to let you be the one who embodies that love in their lives. Write their names down. Pray for them. Pray for yourself. You will only do this well through the power of God in your life. 


Above all, LOVE...


The greatest of these is LOVE...


For God so LOVED...


Are you seeing the recurring theme here? I hope so. 


Today ask God to help you love as he loves.  Someone you will meet today needs it. 


Praying for you...


Sherri