“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:1-2 (RSV)
Being called to be imitators of God, means to walk in the kind of love that Jesus demonstrated. God is doing a continuous renewal project in each of us, with the goal that we all learn to imitate the sacrificial love of His son. It’s a lesson that requires a lifetime to learn. We may have a heightened awareness of this lesson during the most challenging times in our life. That’s because God does His deepest work in us during the hardest trials.
People spend a lifetime, pursuing education, wisdom, meaningful relationships, and financial success, all to attain a level of contentment during our brief life span. When we are facing a crisis, all those things seem to fade into the background, being reminded of our own mortality. The only essential question after all is said and done, is whether we have walked in the kind of sacrificial love that Christ asked us to imitate.
I’m sure there are many people on this group reading list, who could share their own personal stories of how they once experienced self giving love, at a difficult stage in their lives, and I wish I could listen to all their stories.
Two years ago, I came across a true but difficult story about sacrificial love. It happened on October 7, 2023, at the kibbutz in Israel, Kfar Aza, where the first wave of mass murders took place, by Hamas terrorists. Hadar and Itai, who were in their early thirties, were parents of ten month old twin boys, at the time. They quickly hid their babies in their safe room as Hamas terrorists were breaking down their front door, on that fateful morning.
Sadly, both parents were instantly killed, but I can imagine their last prayer to God was for Him to save their babies. The twins were in that safe room for thirteen hours until found by an IDF soldier who is in the photo below. As first responders searched through the remains of a once vibrant community of young families, that soldier heard babies crying and found their twins in the safe room. The parents acted in sacrificial love, placing themselves in harm’s way, praying that their babies would survive and they did.
Jesus sees each person as those babies, hidden in a safe room, scared, confused, hungry, and alone. His love for us is sacrificial, as those parents who gave their lives to protect them. God is also like that heroic soldier who found the babies in a dark place, 13 hours later, and brought them into the daylight, carrying them safely in His arms.
The twins, Roy and Guy, who are over two years old today, are being raised by their aunt and uncle who had three boys of their own under the age of seven. I attached the only pictures I could find of the twins today.
As I looked at these photos, I was moved, because I could see Jesus in that soldier’s picture, like a good Shepherd, carrying those helpless babies to a new chance in life.
Then I looked at the picture of the twins walking side by side, and recalled the close bond that all twins have. Those boys will be blessed to have each other for the rest of their lives.
God loves us with a much greater love than any natural parent has. He tells us through this scripture, as He speaks to all who have ever felt alone or abandoned:
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you.”
(Isaiah 49:15)
There will always be a new day of hope, despite the inexplainable sorrows of yesterday. God gives us new mercies with many new chances to walk in His love. As we put our trust in Him, we have hope for every new tomorrow that He gives us.
Lord, help us to remember that there will always be a new day to walk in love, by imitating you, for the glory of God, every day of our lives. Amen
