A Beautiful Love

I saw him from across the room and my heart sank. He wasn't one of my Hospice patients, but I knew it wouldn't be long until he met criteria to come on board. You see the majority of my patients are at the same Assisted Living facility. So I get to know all of the residents, not only the ones on Hospice Care. This particular gentleman was getting more and more confused, but the one thing that never changed was his politeness. He answered most questions with "Yes Ma'am" even though he was close to 40 years older then me! When it came time to approach his family about Hospice care they were relieved to know that I already knew of him and quickly signed all of the necessary paperwork. Now that he was officially assigned to me, I didn't just have to watch him from across the room, I could go up to him and share daily hugs with him as I did with the rest of my patients. It was a pleasure getting to know him, but as with some patients, he took a turn for the worst rather quickly. Here is where I am going with this. He loved the Lord! He may not have remembered if he had breakfast or not on any given day. May not have known if the clothes on his back were dirty or clean. He may not have even remembered a single face in the room, but if you asked him about the bible by his bed, his face would light up and he would quote scripture for you. Even as he lay actively dying, with a raspy voice and tears falling, he sang full verse and chorus to an old time hymn. How is it that a man can lose all memory but yet remember scripture and hymns? One Answer: A Beautiful Love. A love that loves God with all of his heart, all of his soul, and all of his mind! For that is how The Lord our God says to love in Matthew 22:37

Here is my thought and a disclaimer. Disclaimer: I know the more I talk about God, the more people will be watching me. Will I get it right every time? No. I will stumble. And when I do, there will be a non-believer waiting to say Ahhh Haaa, I told you so! So all I can do is pray and hope that I get it right more often then I get it wrong. I am a sinner, that is why I need a Savior!

Thought: For years I attended church learning about God, but am just now figuring out what it means to have a relationship with God. As I grow closer to him, that verse that says Love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, has new meaning. I can almost compare it to falling in love. When we first meet someone and have that 'love' feeling for them,we want to get to know them more. So we ask questions and find out about their past, their present, and their future goals. Same as with God. Those questions come in the form of a hunger to know more about him, therefore we get a hunger to be in the word. Keep in mind, I'm talking about myself and these are just thoughts. So I get in the bible to find out all I can about the God I'm falling in love with. As the courting continues, we may feel the urge to hold the other person's hand. You care so much for them that you want to feel their touch. With God, it's I feel so connected to you that I cannot help myself but to lift up my hands to you with Praise! And finally with that special someone, we'll want to take them out and spend money on them. With God, it's tithing. I am learning everything I can by reading about him in the bible and now that I know him better I can't help myself but to want to touch him with my hands lifted high! And finally, I want to spend my money on him. I can't help myself but to WANT to tithe. I want to give to the God who so loves me because I so love him. My three examples to myself for loving with heart, soul, mind! Maybe they will be helpful to you too! Another group has the song for the moment. The Afters with 'A Beautiful Love'......"Maybe a greater thing will happen, maybe all will see. Maybe this love will catch like fire as it burns through me"..... My patient's love burned through him and caught on to me. Hopefully it burns through me and catches on to you. And so on and so on infinity......

Lesson: Do you love God with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind to the point when you forget everything else, you will remember scripture and hymns? I hope I do!