In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, an oft-quoted section of the 13th chapter is commonly used and associated with societal love, or what we think it should mean. The problem is that when we define love based on our benchmark or our expectations, we miss the mark.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
We desire nothing more than for love to be a set of warm and fuzzies, boxes of chocolates, or a card written once a year, but that isn’t love at all. In fact, love is not a description or an adjective – it is an action. An intentional and daily setting aside of one’s self, sacrificing one’s own wants, needs, and desires for the betterment of another (your spouse and your children).
There is no score keeping or tit-for-tat or even “I have served you enough for one day.” It is constant, unrelenting, committed action.
The Adventures of Maximus Rex: Maximus Rex Joins the Family is a book about love. Our love for Baby Max, our handsome son whose time here felt far too brief and much too short. But that is only from our limited view…
We have a God who loves us, despite our infinite number of failings, lack of faith, weak (or non-existent) trust in Him, and our constant desire to fully commit to self-serving, selfish decision making. And that God, just like Earthly parents, continually brings scenarios into our lives for our benefit, for our edification, and to bring us closer to Him.
It’s a tough pill to swallow, but discipline is there as a corrective mechanism because of His love. You discipline your children because you love them. God disciplines us because He loves us. He also cares for us beyond our wildest understanding.
We haven’t the tiniest idea of the benevolent mercies that are constantly showered upon us as we go about our lives, continually rebelling and pursuing our own path despite the clear instruction we are given to bey His commands.
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:13-14
In Genesis 22, Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac. A son whom Abraham expected and anticipated that God would build a great nation through. A son whom Abraham love. A son that was a miracle baby with a mother who was into her 90s and beyond child-bearing. A son, who like any father of a child, had human hopes and dreams and excitement built around.
But Abraham obeyed.
He took Isaac up the mountain, and even in the bleakness moment, Abraham trusted that the Lord would provide. And provide He did, with a lamb caught in the thicket for the sacrifice. The place was then named “the Lord will provide.”
It is nearly impossible to imagine the pain of offering one’s own child, especially one who was hoped for and planned for and seemed like a miracle, but we are called to trust and obey. Trust and obey. Not trust and disobey. Not doubt and do things your own way. Trust and obey.
While we miss Max, we have to trust that his life and our very short 200 days served a purpose. Perhaps not the purpose we would have chosen or had hoped for, but a purpose far greater. To have faith is to trust in what we cannot see, no matter how unbelievable or impossible or impractical it feels. It’s nearly unfathomable to imagine hiking up that mountain like Abraham, being commanded to sacrifice Max, especially after waiting so long and praying so hard for him to arrive.
The pain of not having Max here now would pale in comparison to having to give him up again. And yet, we are called to do things we do not understand.
But we can rejoice that we did get time with Max, and that he brought a joy to our lives that we can hardly comprehend. And we celebrate because one day, we will see him again in a place where the pain and sins of the world are removed, and we will have access to Our Loving Father for all eternity. How much more does the Lord love us than we can ever love Max and King? Infinitely more.
Today, celebrate the love that the Lord has for His people. The love that caused Him to sacrifice His own son, to carry the burden of our sins, and who died and was resurrected so that the sting of death is removed for those who believe. That is the greatest valentine.
The reading out loud to Max is one of the things we miss the most, but we can be encouraged that we did get that time and that many great things beyond our understanding are happening, even without our knowledge.
The Adventures of Maximus Rex Team (King, Lynnette, and Russell)
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