One of my favorite lines from Les Miserables is, “to love another person is to see the face of God.” How might our lives be improved if we would remember that as, we look at one another, we are
In our frustration and exhaustion caring for our loved ones, we easily forget this and sadly often lash out because we too are overwhelmed and possibly ill ourselves. Yet God understands and in love reminds us to rely on His might and power to carry us regardless of difficult circumstances.
Because we love God and all that belongs to God, we love one another through family joys and sorrows, fun and hard times or pain and grief. We are all aware our world has a mixture of good and bad, hatred and love. Relying on God, I found He wants me to ‘embrace’ every opportunity I am given to love, even when others are hard to love. Sometimes, I am successful, other times not.
I am comforted and sustained that despite the ups and downs of life, we have one constant: Almighty God loves us just as intensely as a Mother loves her child. (Isaiah 49:15, “Can a Mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb.”) If we have eyes to see, God becomes most present when we are most human. Through God’s grace, we can be restored and renewed and take advantage of every invitation to love. Love is ultimately, a choice and as Richard Garnett says, “Love is the greatest gift that one generation can leave to another.”
Toward the end of my Mother’s lengthy illness, she was barely able to swallow and I was with her in the Nursing Home when the Eucharistic Minister brought the Body of Christ in the form of the Host. Though Mom was given a small piece, she could not absorb and the Host fell out of her mouth. It was a sacred moment, as I consumed the Eucharist and I felt the Lord uniting us in love, enabling me to let go of many issues I had with her. Relying on God’s forgiveness (because I couldn’t do this on my own) brought both of us peace and freedom. Of course, this process wasn’t instant, but ongoing. Let us look at the faces of God, and make the choice to love.
Do you have a story of how relying on God has set you free?