I chose God, because of that passion He has for me. (Us) He chose to leave His heavenly comfort zone to walk as a man on earth. He chose to get to know me (us) from the inside-out; to feel my joy, to feel my pain and sadness. I praise God and thank Him for the knowledge that He is always here for me and He does care. The statement Yancey made certainly holds true concerning God, but doesn’t always hold true for human relations. Men and women ‘fall’ in love. They build friendships from which getting to know each other grows to love. How about the love of a parent for a child or for our siblings? Do we choose that? Parents of more than one child may love all of them, but one may tug at their heart. It just happens, it’s not a choice. In large families sometimes two of the siblings are closer with each other than the rest. Then we have the love between friends or sisters and brothers in Christ. All of these ‘human-type’ loves evoke feelings, which we don’t actually choose. They are emotions. Our emotions come from God, the way He created us. He put that love inside us like He did hair, teeth, and all our body parts.

And sometimes love hurts. It can feel so bad you want to clutch at your heart and rip it out. You may wish you never had loved in the first place; like in a marriage gone bad, or like watching someone you love go through a serious illness, day by day in agony for them. Equally devastating is having a loved one killed instantly like from a car crash. Is that gut-wrenching love for one lost a choice? The awesome thing about this kind of devastating love is that God is with us through it.

Assurances from Isaiah 43:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;"
"Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I LOVE YOU."

I am observing love as I am experiencing a tragedy of love. My brother, Neal’s son Jonah was killed in a car accident. The ache in my heart is raw; it is tender. I KNOW God’s love and compassion are surrounding us. I know it as I breathe. I know it as I know He chose to let His own son suffer and die, for me (us). I know how much I love my brother and how I hurt for him, so God must really be hurting for me as well. I do not fully understand the agape love He has for us, but trusting God and obeying Him brings me closer. I am so glad God chose me, and I choose Him right back!

Father Creator, you give and you take away. You are God. I am not to question why. I trust you and honor your perfect order on earth. Help me to understand the love you give, and may it grow and spill out onto those I come in contact with. Thank you for your gift…Jesus, the Christ.