How to Love Like Christ Loves His Church

St. Paul said it. “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” (Ephesians 5:25). Impossible, right? Yes. It is. Christ gave Himself for the church by hanging dead on a cross. You or I could never fully live that kind of love. That’s utter and complete sacrifice. But there is a sense in which we can live a fraction of that kind of love. I’ve seen it.

If you have a son-in-law I can only wish for you that he would live up to the standards of mine. We liked Josh from the minute we met him. But we love him even more now that we have seen the way he treats our daughter. Even more so throughout the course of her recent pregnancy and delivery of our first grandchild.

I can’t even count the number of times he said to her over the last nine months: “Are you OK?” He made sure a healthy, picture perfect dinner was ready for her every night when she came home from work. Josh oversaw her diet. He cautioned her about what to eat and what not to eat (or drink). Josh accompanied her to every doctor visit and did what he could for her when she experienced the pain of contractions. The decorations in the corner of their little apartment have just as many of Josh’s fingerprints as Ashlyn’s.

In the 48 hours before the delivery Josh took Ashlyn to the Labor and Delivery Triage at the hospital no less than three times. He was with her through every contraction and push. Now that little Crosby has been born his care for our daughter and his new son has been ramped up even more. He’s more involved in feeding, and care, and newborn tactics than I ever was. Josh is serving them hand and foot…literally.

He has not hung on a cross for them, but I’m pretty sure he would if he had to. It doesn’t mean he’s any more saintly than you or I. It just means that he loves in the way that he has been called to by Christ Himself. He is giving of himself in nearly every possible way. He sacrifices self for the sake of those he loves.

I couldn’t ask for more for the ones I love so much.

When have you seen this kind of love?

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