Sacrificial Love

Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing. Matthew 10:42 MSG

I was overwhelmed. I had things to do and not near enough time to accomplish them all. Among other things, my visit to an inmate at the local jail was overdue. As hard as I tried, the week was crammed full-family obligations, things to accomplish stemming from my work as well as my husband's and a writing project that I had to keep on top of. The day came that I knew I had to write- it was the only time I had. Ironically, the message I was to write about was sacrificial love and as I prayed about it, I sensed a word from the Holy Spirit. I felt a conviction knowing that writing about sacrificial love is one thing, but writing about it doesn't mean a whole lot if I'm not going to live it. So, I climbed into my van and headed toward the jail. Because I can be the most self-centered woman I know and need some significant improvement in putting others before myself, I wanted to obey and walk in sacrificial love. I wanted to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only. On my way, I not only prayed for the visit but that He would redeem the time that was spent at the jail. Whether that request was selfish or not, I was already behind on the project and wanted to honor Him in that as well.

Once at the jail, I sat and listened to my new friend. Two weeks earlier, I had sat across from the same woman- except she had been weeping. One who was scared, alone and described herself as "lost". Now, I saw a woman who was telling me that she had been in the Word everyday, that the church services they had every week were wonderful, that the job she needed on "the outside" came through. She now had the support of her family where two weeks ago, she didn't know what they thought. When I asked her how she felt compared to two weeks ago, she responded, "I have peace." She acknowledged that for the first time in a long time, she had hope. God had given her hope and a new beginning. God had revealed Himself to her- in a way that this woman could see it was Him.

As I drove home in tears, I praised Him for revealing Himself to her in this way. He is so good, so near, so crazy about us. He wants to give us freedom and hope. He wants to teach us that to draw near to Him is hope and restoration and to turn away is to reject Life itself. He wants to remind us who we are without Him and who He has made us to be through Jesus. He wants us to see Him. What He says, He will do. As I praised Him, I felt so blessed. Not because I had done anything. But because He allowed me to be a witness of what He had done in that young lady's life. What a privilege. If I hadn't taken time to go visit her, I would have missed out on His teaching. Sacrificial love- it is a lifestyle. It is a choice. It is as big as care giving for an aging parent or spouse, or giving up your dreams for God's. It is as small as making an interruption an opportunity- making a phone call, praying for others when nudged or giving someone else a cup of cold water. It is a giving of self to serve others. It is living like Jesus.

Lord, give me a heart like Yours. Give me the desire to put others before myself, to love others like You do. Thank You for the way You reveal Yourself. I praise You and rejoice in You today! Amen.

Jocelyn Hamsher