His smile and that laugh. The way his dark eyes seemed to sparkle when he looked at me. He called me Carolina Moon. His arms wrapped rightly around me with such strength, yet so gentle at the same time. He always made me feel unconditionally loved. I felt that no matter what I did, he loved me.
I loved my grandpa. I never heard him raise his voice or say an unkind word … not once.
Love is such a perplexing human need. For some, it’s difficult to give it because we don’t know if we’ve ever received it. And many have been hurt by those who claim to love us. How confusing is that? Others are afraid to accept love from anyone because of traumatic or disappointing experiences in our past. Truth be told, love is illusive—and unconditional love is rare. Is there someone in your life from whom you felt unconditional love?
Man’s love often has attachments and impurities. That makes it conditional—only given as a reward for good behavior, for pleasing the other person, for never messing up. But God’s love is pure and unconditional because of the sacrifice of Jesus for our mess ups. God’s love is by far the best love.
The love I felt from my grandpa was the best and most pure I’ve ever experienced from a human being. His was a love that I could compare to how God loves me now, and one example of how I can better love others.
Daily Prayer & Focus: How can I emulate God’s unconditional love for me in my daily life—with my family, friends, coworkers, strangers? What might be keeping me from loving others in a Christlike way?
Women In Ministry 
Leave a Reply