Breathless
Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.
(NIV) John 15:13
I was alone in the doctor's office
when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer;
it was a routine exam
and I didn't even think to bring someone with me.
As you can well imagine,
the ride home was a challenge
and, in retrospect,
the first evidence of God's promise of protection
in that storm of cancer.
When I arrived home,
the first person I called was my Mom.
There is nothing quite like the gentle touch
of a Mom when her child is sick.
Being a cancer survivor herself,
I was also counting on encouragement
and courage from her.
I never bargained for her response.
The very first thing she said to me was
"I wish I could go through it for you."
This was not an uneducated response;
my was intimately familiar with the trauma of the surgery,
the gut wrenching reality of facing your mortality
and the way that chemo therapy attacks your body
as it attacks the cancer.
Despite her knowledge,
she was willing to make the sacrifice
for her daughter who she loved with that indescribable,
uncompromising motherly love.
At that moment,
I had a glimpse of the extent of my mother's love
and, almost three years later,
the force of that love still leaves me breathless.
As we approach Easter
and once again,
hear the familiar Bible passages
of the last week of Christ's love,
I am reminded of another love that leaves me breathless.
Given the choice between letting us suffer
the consequences of our sin
or take it Himself,
Christ chose to die on a cross for us.
As I read of Christ's anguish in the garden of Gethsemane,
I am reminded that,
like my Mom,
He knew intimately the cost of taking our place.
Remember,
Christ was there when Adam was formed from dust.
He knows every muscle and nerve
in our bodies
and He knew the damage a spike would do
to muscle and nerve.
He also knew the respiratory system
and how the slow strangulation of crucifixion
would play out.
Yet He choose to take our place.
Take that a step further
and imagine the anguish of God.
I remember the pain in my mom's eyes
as she watched me suffer.
Can you imagine the pain God felt
as He watched His Son bear such physical pain?
Imagine how He felt when Jesus begged Him
to take the cup away
and come up with another plan,
when they both knew that this was the only plan.
(Luke 22:41)
Finally,
imagine the emotional pain
Jesus felt when He who had no sin,
who was perfect had to take on our sin
and the shame of it.
He also took the consequence of sin,
which is separation from God.
When Christ cried out
"why have you forsaken me"
(Mark 15:34)
He was,
for the first time since before time itself,
separated from His Father.
If that isn't enough,
think of the pain of God,
as He had to turn His back on His Son
because He could not look at Christ
while Christ was tainted with our sin.
Again, I am breathless.
Easter is the celebration
of the happy ending of the crucifixion agony.
It is the story of victory
over sin and death
and it is the story of resurrection,
new life.
It is also the story of a love
that is incomprehensible in its scope and sacrifice.
Think of that love
as you put on your Easter finery
on Easter Sunday.
My prayer is that it will leave you breathless.
Written by Sheree Motola
(Used With Permission)
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