Love

                                       Love
Many things pass for love in our world. People making excuses for their loved ones ranks as the poorest substitute for love. I’ve seen it many times. If a loved one commits a dishonest or violent act, he or she should be excused. Loved ones eventually learn to feel entitled to commit any sin or break any law.

Jesus taught us that everyone deserves a chance at forgiveness, but that doesn’t mean that excuses should be made for anyone. After the prodigal son humbled himself and asked to become his father’s servant, he was forgiven, but children no longer feel they must humble themselves to be forgiven. They’re taught that they’re entitled to be forgiven and they never let anyone forget about their entitlement.

I write to Tracy, a woman in a Missouri prison. We’ve exchanged many letters and become friends. I don’t know the details about every sin she’s committed or every law she’s broken. I also doubt she volunteered to go to prison, but since she entered prison, she’s adapted a humble spirit and asked God to wash her spirit clean and give her a second chance.

No one knows what the future might bring, but God has given her a chance to make a difference in my life and she does make a difference. No one is perfect. She doesn’t try to be. She’s just real and honest. She tries to treat me as she wants to be treated and that’s what Christian love is all about.

As we enter a new year, I hope we dedicate ourselves to realizing that loving each other means more than making excuses for each other. It means humbling ourselves to God’s will and forgiving each other. It means most of all that we should treat others, as we want to be treated.