When love is challenged

Better to die than to love

At the most severe point of my mother’s struggle with Cancer, we all had many questions and doubts, but she kept all her questions to herself. Through the several years of suffering, I don’t remember her complaining or grumbling against God. It seems she took it all in stride, as part of her life. She continued to love God without any reservations.
Similarly, when Job was at the deepest level of his suffering, his love and commitment to God was questioned. “Then his wife said to him, ‘do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.’ But he said to her, ‘you speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?’ In all this, Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:9-10) His love for God went beyond his physical and financial condition. His circumstances were clearly in shambles, but his love for God continued intact. The words spoken by his wife would have pierced his heart more than all the tremendous losses in life. But his wounded heart held on firmly to the love he had for his God.

I’d rather die than not love

To what extent will Job continue to hold on to his love for God? We get a glimpse of the extent of his love when he said “Though he slay me, I will hope in him.” (Job 13:15a) There were no limits and certainly no boundaries to the love Job had for God. He considered it more valuable than life itself.
But really, can I be trusted? Will my love for God stay intact? What if I loose my job? What if my health deteriorates? What if my relationships turn sour? What if life itself simply falls apart? How will I respond to God?

How can you challenge true love?

Paul was a man who suffered constant setbacks and brokenness, but he said: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

Nothing can separate you from true love

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present or things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)
Wow. That’s confidence!
But what about me?
What about you?